FINE PETRIFIED PALM SLICE
Palmoxylon sp.
Oligocene
Sumatra, Indonesia
One of the most fascinating examples of petrified wood is the 30 million-year-old palm from the swampy forests of Indonesia, with its highly aesthetic inner structure, here brought to a gleaming high-polished finish. A complete slice, it is edged with the highly textured protrusions of the rough bark, which protects an outer ring beautifully speckled with the coarse-grained structure of sclerenchyma bundles, groups of tubules that give the tall slender palm trunk its vertical strength, shading from pale sandy yellow to warm brown. The central section is most dramatic, however, the fine speckles fading to a vivid inky blackness, enlivened by soft cloudy gray areas, shimmering splashes of silvery pyrite, and shot through with vivid veins of duck-egg blue agate, several opening to reveal delightful little vugs of clear quartz crystal. A fine aesthetic specimen, it measures approximately 15 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 1/2 inches.