3D model of a rock with multiple fossil leaf fragments (NHMW-GEO-2024-0188-11124)

<p>This slab of rock has lots of dispersed leaf fragments, including the scaly leaves of a very primitive conifer called <i>Walchia piniformis</i>.&nbsp;These fossils come from the late Carboniferous to early Permian (app. 300–290 million years ago) of Czechia. Conifers like these were the early ancestors of modern pine trees.</p><p>This object is part of the historical ‘Ettingshausen collection’, which is on permanent loan from the Institute of Biology, University of Graz.&nbsp;</p>