SiS: VERY UNUSUAL Arizona FUNGUS INVADED Petrified Log - Choice Collector Piece!

Description

This is one of the strangest petrified wood specimens I've seen yet from the diverse and beautiful petrified forests of Northern Arizona.  It's definitely one of the most unusual and attractive hand-sized limb or small log specimens that you'll encounter in this deposit.  The strange looking oval shaped patterns permeating this petrified conifer tree are actually the fossil remains of a fungus that invaded this ancient tree before it was fossilized into the gemstone it is today!  I've seen a few pieces of this material over the years, but this is one of finest, most richly colored and complete rounds we've had with this unusual feature in a smaller sized limb like this.  Both features are unusual in that you rarely see limbs of this size in this forest in the first place and in the few instances you find them they are never completely fungus invaded like this one!  I've puzzled over this piece for some time and I think I'm correct that this is a full round limb section and not a weathered portion of a larger log.  I considered whether this might be one of the giant fungus sections that had been separated from its host tree as these can be fairly long and sort of yam shaped with a pointy end on either end when you see them clinging to large logs.  It remains a remote possibility in this case, but I believe the structure you see that forms a tapered point along one edge of the rind of the log is actually one of those external fungal growth suggesting that this is indeed a small limb with a fungus attached to the outside and one that grew to replace nearly the entire log on the inside.  You won't find a more fascinating poiece in this size range, I'm certain!  This is actually a double fossil - the petrified wood being
Araucarioxylon arizonacum
and the fungus scientists have named
Polyporites wardii
,
a parasite that covered the tree while it was still alive!  The wood in this area is mineralized with silica and other impurities that mean it polishes, but not to the same mirror lustre that it's rainbow wood cousins can achieve.
It's a very solid, well prepared museum piece that is both fascinating and gorgeous!
One of the oldest and best known petrified forests in the United States is in Arizona.  What is less known is that the northern part of the state also holds some incredible petrified wood fossils, and this stunning specimen is one of them.  We acquired this piece as part of an estate collection years ago and only recently re-worked the stone to bring it to a proper shine.  The fungus is preserved in barite (fungus is almost never seen because it doesn't preserve in silica the way wood does) which means it's a bit softer and doesn't achieve the same high polish that the highly silicified wood did, but it did polish and it looks great.  This is a rarely seen variation and a unique natural phenomenon in the petrified wood world.  Something few of us will ever even see in such an incredible specimen!
If you're new to our shop the one thing you should expect is to see an unexpectedly glossy finish on each stone we prepare.  This complete round is a wonderful example of our work. It's been cut with a diamond saw and flat lapped on equipment I built myself to produce a mirror perfect polish unmatched by any of our many would-be imitators. The detail captured and revealed through the highly polished surface is just immaculate. It's easily some of the most interesting Northern AZ or Southern Utah wood to be found anywhere! The rings are gorgeous, the agate is highly polished and the detail is easier to see in person than the photo suggests. It's a truly special find and we won't likely have a lot more so consider this one for your collection while it's available!
This is a hefty and dense limb section that measures about 3" x 2 5/8"  across the polished face and is about 4 1/2" long.  Weight is about 2.94 lbs.
A nice, unique natural wonder collectible exclusively from Sticks-in-Stones Lapidary!
Sticks-in-Stones Lapidary
is happily providing UPS & USPS shipping to greatly reduce shipping charges on large rock orders. We will combine all of your purchased from our shop into one package to bring you the greatest possible value in fine lapidary & stone collectibles!