Metasequoia

About it

Flat sprays of short needles in opposite pairs, from the dawn redwood, named from fossils in 1941 and found alive in China a few years later. Common in Paleogene and Neogene shales of the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Arctic.

Type

Fossil (plant)

Group

Conifer (plant)

Colours

brown, black, tan

Transparency

opaque

Periods

Cretaceous, Paleogene, Neogene

Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.