This screw pine fossil is a rare type specimen. Parts of Jurassic Northamptonshire were submerged in a shallow warm sea and tropical plants thrived on the nearby land.
Outline map of Northamptonshire area in Jurassic period
This plant fossil is the cast of an almost complete cone of a screw pine on a limestone rock matrix. It is a type specimen called Pandanocarpum ooliticum (Carruthers), and it was found in the Great Oolite limestone area in Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Type specimens represent the highest category of fossil. They are usually the specimen that any person describing a new species looks at as they record their new description, so it is very special.
Kingsthorpe rests mainly on Northampton Sands. The Northampton Sand Formation is made up of sandstone, limestone and ironstone sediments deposited in the Middle Jurassic between 174 to 161 million years ago, when parts of Northamptonshire were submerged in a shallow warm sea and the temperatures on land were much warmer than today. On nearby land, tropical plants and trees, such as the screw pine flourished.
The screw pine still grows today and is a palm-like evergreen tree that can grow up to 20 metres tall. Branches spread from the trunk and old leaf scars spiral around it like a screw hence the name. The fruit looks remarkably like a pineapple.
Number 3 of the objects selected for the A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects Exhibition 2025
Northamptonshire’s ironstone was formed from iron-rich sediments in the Jurassic period. Quarried since Roman times, ironstone has shaped our landscape, fuelled the county's industry and built our houses.
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© Steve Pulley
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NMAG
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NMAG
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NMAG
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NMAG