Ortiseia

Ortiseia leonardii was a large conifer similar to today's Araucaria in South America. It grew along rivers flowing through a semi-dry flood plain, represented today by the red Val Gardena Sandstone rock unit. The best-preserved fossils come from the area around Ortisei, which lends the genus its name. These plants are presumed to have formed small forests that were the habitat of a large number of animals drawn there by the water.