Large Legume Seed Pod Plant Fossil

The Green River Formation deposits of Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah are best known for their immaculately-preserved fish, but other examples are known as well, as this specimen attests. This is an example of a seed pod with visible seeds from a member of the Leguminosae (Pea family), one of the largest of families of flowering plants. The family holds several plants of use to man as a food source due to the fact that they harbor nitrogen fixing bacteria, and so need little to no additional fertilizer. The deep brown color is a fine contrast to the light shale matrix, with the pod well centered on the plate. This is the first such example I have been able to offer, presented here as a highly-desirable part/counterpart pair.