Lepidodendron plant fossil. Coal shale fossil of a fragment of the scale-like surface of a Lepidodendron plant's trunk. This specimen dates from around 300 million years ago, during the Westphalian stage of the Carboniferous. It is from the Anzin coalfield of northern France, and measures 11 by 23 centimetres. It is part of the Belhis collection at the Museum of Geology in Lille, France.