Enigmatic Green River Formation Fruiting Body Chaneya

Description: 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 flower-like fruiting body known as Chaynea. First described in 2000, it is a member of a genus known from the Eocene of Western North America and the Miocene of Asia. What is seen here is the calyx. In a later stage one or two globose fruiting bodies would develop near the center. These are adapted for wind dispersal, and are most commonly found with other winged fruits such as those of Acer, Ulmus, and others. Precise systematic placement has proven difficult as no specific leaf type has been assigned, probably because the leaves did not be carried by the wind as easily as the fruits.