Callixylon tree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Callixylon tree |
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The Callixylon tree stump located at the entrance to ECU's Campus.
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| Species | Callixylon whiteanum |
| Location | East Central University, Ada, Oklahoma, US |
| Coordinates | 34°27′53″N 96°23′57″W / 34.46463°N 96.39917°W |
| Date seeded | Estimated to be 250,000,000 years ago |
| Website | https://www.ecok.edu/community/centennial/time-viewer/callixylon-tree-1936 |
The Callixylon tree is an amazing petrified (or turned-to-stone) tree stump. It's super old, about 250 million years old! A man named John Fitts found it in 1913. Many people believe this stump is the biggest Callixylon tree stump ever found anywhere.
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Discovering the Ancient Callixylon Tree
The Callixylon tree was found by John Fitts in 1913. He discovered it on a farm near Goose Creek, close to Jesse, Oklahoma. This area is in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma. The fossil was found near a place called the Giant Fitts Oilfield.
What Kind of Tree Is It?
This petrified stump was the largest of its kind ever discovered. The Callixylon tree is a type of Callixylon whiteanum. This species of tree is now extinct, meaning it no longer exists. These trees lived a very long time ago, during the late Devonian period. That was about 359 to 419 million years ago!
Scientists later learned that Callixylon belonged to the same plant family as another ancient tree called Archaeopteris. The Callixylon stump was actually found in several pieces. These pieces were later put back together to form an eight-foot-tall stump.
The Fight for the Callixylon Tree
For 23 years, from 1913 to 1936, two groups wanted the Callixylon tree. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and East Central University (ECU) both wanted to display it.
Smithsonian vs. East Central University
David White was a very important scientist. He was in charge of Paleobotany (the study of ancient plants) at the Smithsonian. He also worked for the United States Geological Survey. Mr. White came from Washington D.C. to see the fossil. He thought it should be shown at the Smithsonian Museum.
However, people who supported ECU wanted the tree to stay in Oklahoma. They started raising money. Their goal was to put the tree fragments back together. They also wanted to move the tree to the ECU campus.
How ECU Got the Tree
Sadly, David White passed away before enough money was raised to move the tree to the Smithsonian. Because of this, the Callixylon tree was given to East Central University. It was a special gift and a memorial to David White.
The president of ECU at the time, President Linscheid, officially accepted the tree in March 1936. Today, you can see the Callixylon tree stump at the entrance to East Central University's campus. There is a special plaque at its base. This plaque is dedicated to David White, honoring his work.
Plaque
This plaque is placed at the bottom of the Callixylon Tree. It remembers David White and shares important facts about the tree.
It says:
CALLIXYLON TREE OF DEVONIAN AGE
PONTOTOC COUNTY, OKLAHOMA.
DEDICATED TO
DAVID WHITE
CURATOR OF PALEOBOTANY OF SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE [sic]
AND PRINCIPAL GEOLOGIST OF U. S. G. S.
PRESENTED TO THE COLLEGE BY
JOHN FITTS
1935.
