| Here are two fossil alder cones (the twig-like specimen at the bottom of the image is an unidentified plant fragment) from the middle Miocene Aldrich Station Formation, Nevada; left to right, cones are 21mm 18mm long, respectively. They came from a species of alder called Alnus smithiana, which is similar to the modern Alnus tenuifolia, or the Western American Alder--sometimes called the Mountain Alder. |