When I was putting together my Atlantic Coast Sand Lab someone from Virginia(?) sent me a sample, and along with the sand included this fossil. Unfortunately I am at a loss to classify the sample because plants are a mystery to me. I think it is Tertiary, and comes from the southern Appalachia area. That's all I know. If anyone can fill in the blanks drop me an e-mail. Two people who I respect as knowing their stuff about plants, both said "Rhododendron." I went out and clipped a leaf from one of the Rhododendrons in my back yard, and put it beside the fossil. At a website describing the geologic history of the species, it stated that they've been around since the Cretaceous. The only complication is that, according to the article, there are no Rhododendron fossils in Appalachia. Once again, if anyone can fill in the blanks drop me an e-mail.

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