This is one of the prettiest and most complete specimens of Pentoxylon we’ve ever seen. Every feature of this rare Jurassic era fossil is visible including the five xylem lobes surrounding the star shaped pith of the trunk that gave this plant its name! I’d seen partial trunk section specimens of this wood before, but the only complete one I’d seen outside of photographs was the one I’d added to my own collection more than a decade ago. Not only is the pith region complete in this piece, but there are also rings of smaller xylem surrounding the central core that are equally well preserved in the gorgeous red and gold agate of this rare fossil specimen. It was a privilege to polish this one to a mirror perfect finish, now ready for your collection! This is a very uncommon and very nice example of an ancient Jurassic era fossil called Pentoxylon. It’s not technically wood, but is actually a seed fern that grew a tree like trunk not unlike the tree fern trunks we brought back from Brazil. It’s name is derived from the five large xylem lobes surrounding the star like pith, although sometimes six lobes are observed. It’s taken quite a while, but we’ve finally managed to find a source for some top grade petrified wood from the last continent of the 6 continents that grow trees! I finally managed to negotiate a deal that kept the price of the finished specimens reasonable and I’m ready to start sharing the fruits of this multi-year search with other petrified wood and stone collectors! The petrified wood in Australia almost looks like it could come from the Pacific Northwest – which is saying a lot! The logs are typically water worn and smooth, but preserved in an exceptional high grade agate. The wood reminds me a lot of the petrified driftwood specimens we find here at the Rogers Mountain dig in Oregon, but the Australian logs have better wood grain and often have the heart of the log still preserved perfectly in the specimen (Rogers Mountain is usually just chunks of driftwood without the heart). The agatization is some of the best I’ve seen in petrified wood from any location. It takes a fantastic polish which really brings out every detail in the finely patterned growth rings and even the cell structure is easily visible under a hand lens. I don’t know if we’ll ever see another log of this material, but what I can tell you is that this one is both beautiful and very well prepared so you end up with a world class specimen for your own collection and study! This round is complete and virtually flawless. It was sliced from the center of a nice, reasonably complete log, and is preserved in natural, rich wood colors with a gorgeous red accents that really bring beauty to what is already a fascinating fossil. The heart is nicely centered in this round – a great collector piece! And of course the polish is world class – just what you’ve come to expect when you collect with Sticks-in-Stones Lapidary! This piece measures about 7 1/4″ x 5 1/4″ across the polished face and is cut about 0.35 thick. Weight is 0.98 lbs. The item “SiS RARE Australian PENTOXYLON Petrified Wood Round AMAZING REDS” is in sale since Wednesday, February 14, 2018. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Rocks, Fossils & Minerals\Fossils\Vegetation\Petrified Wood”. The seller is “rockshop” and is located in Beaverton, Oregon. This item can be shipped worldwide.