following families and genera, further discussed below: 
Family Taxodiaceae - Parataxodium, Glyptostrobus 
europaeus 
Family Araucariaceae - Araucarites longifolia 
Family Cupressaceae - Juniperus (or a relative of 
Juniperus) 
1. Family Taxodiaceae - the Redwood Family (includes 
redwoods and bald cypresses) 
Yes - redwoods are native to Wyoming - late 
Cretaceous Wyoming, that is. Two types of conifers 
belonging to this family have been found at Big Cedar 
Ridge. Parataxodium (Fig. 1) is related to today’s two 
species of bald cypresses, which occur only in the 
southeastern U.S. and parts of Mexico. Glyptostrobus 
europaeus (Fig. 2) has one modern day counterpart 
found along the coast of southeastern China, where it 
has been found since Pliocene time (~5 mya). Bald 
cypresses and dawn redwoods, along with larch trees, 
are two of the very few conifers that shed their leaves 
each year. 
2. Family Araucariaceae - “Norfolk Island Pines and 
Monkey Puzzle” trees 
Fossils of Araucarites longifolia (Fig. 3 and 3a) are 
very common at Big Cedar Ridge, both in the ash-slurry 
layer, and in the river channel sandstone that overlies it. 
It is related to today’s Norfolk Island Pine (A excelsa), 
which is a native of Norfolk Island - the northernmost of 
the New Zealand group, and commonly used as an 
indoor ornamental (Fig. 4). It is also related to today’s 
“Monkey Puzzle tree” (A. imbricata), which is native to 
South America, but also found as far north as Scotland 
and along the west coast of North America today. The 
name Araucarites is commonly used for leafy shoots, 
twigs, cones and cone scales. Another species, A 
hatcheri, has also been described in Wyoming. 
FIGURES. Araucarites longifolia, Big Cedar Ridge, 
Wyoming; Meeteetse Formation, Late Cretaceous 
FIGURE 2. Glyptostrobus europaeus, Big Cedar Ridge, 
Wyoming; Meeteetse Formation, Late Cretaceous 
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