Jurassic Yard | Species Obscura

All around the world, we are surrounded by ‘living fossils’. You may have heard of the animals or mighty T-rex, but… who would’ve guessed that today, we still can find Jurassic flowers and fruits?! This project, brought proudly to you by Species Obscura and Friends of Fossil Forest, would like to introduce various plants that have lived among us since prehistoric times. Preserving them through art is our approach to inviting you to appreciate nature in a way that is pleasing to our eyes – in limited stocks!

Creative Director: Franz Anthony
Artists: Alwan Syah, Anargha Setiadi, Franz Anthony
Merchandiser: Puspita Insan Kamil

GOODS • GOODS • GOODS • GOODS

Inspired by traditional herb drinks favored by many Indonesians, we envision mocking the iconic cultural beverage heritage using the living fossils of ginger and ginkgo.

Wedang

Imagine sipping a warm ginger drink alongside a sweet cake on a nice afternoon. Did you know that many plants in the ginger family have existed since the age of the dinosaurs? The oldest known ginger, Spirematospermum, is over 80 million years old. The ginger family is known for their uses as spices or folk medicine all across Asia. Ask your grandma if you don’t believe us.

stocks

STICKERS

only 200 available

ACRYLIC KEYCHAIN

only 20 available

ENAMEL PIN

only 15 available

BIG BAG

only 4 available

Does eating a fossil make you feel old? Well, if you are Indonesian, then you must know these two plants closely and might eat them on a regular basis. Next time you eat them, remember that a vegetarian dinosaur might have eaten them too in the past.

Pisang

Bananas are a staple in many parts of the world today. One of the oldest known fossil bananas, Ensete oregonense, lived 43 million years ago, although fossil pollen suggests that it could’ve lived alongside the dinosaurs over 65 million years ago. Bet the dinosaurs would order banana smoothies on a hot day and a fried banana for afternoon snack, too!

Melinjo

If you favor a mouth-watering soto for lunch today, emping is a perfect companion. A traditional snack made of the fruit of Melinjo (Gnetum gnemon), a unique plant with very few living cousins today, emping is proof of how creative we are with the species. Though Gnetum fossils have proven to be elusive, it’s expected that they must’ve been around 66 million years ago. Imagine eating 66 million-year-old crackers for lunch! What a feast!

Kelapa

Coconuts (Cocos nucifera) are the quintessential symbol of the tropics, and the milk extracted from their flesh provides luxurious creaminess to so many dishes across the equator. The Betawinese of Jakarta also decorate their Ondel-Ondel effigies with colorful headdresses representing coconut blossoms. As it turns out, fossils from the genus Cocos have been discovered in rocks as old as 70 to 60 million years! There’s a fair chance there were coconut ancestors growing alongside the very last dinosaurs.

stocks

STICKERS

only 200 available

ACRYLIC KEYCHAIN

only 20 available

CARABINER

only 30 available

The word “fossil” might bring your mind to something old, dusty, or ancient. But these plants proved that their preserved beauty still mesmerizes us today.

Meranti

Indonesia is rich in fossil wood, most of which is members of the dipterocarp family, famous for their winged seeds. You might watch somewhere on TikTok when the seeds fall and it makes a movement like a fallen badminton shuttlecock (do you have a better way to say this???!) Many dipterocarps are still living today, like Meranti (genus Shorea), which are also known to be economically important timber trees. Check your chair at home, it might be made of Meranti wood.

stocks

ENAMEL PIN

only 30 available

BIG BAG

only 8 available

The first rollout of this merchandise set will be at Ragam Flora Indonesia 5 Art Jam Event (May 31st, 2025) by IDSBA (Indonesian Society of Botanical Artists), in Bogor Botanical Garden, as a part of Botanical Art Worldwide 2025.

After the event, the available stock will be available on e-commerce. Eighty percent of the profits go to petrified wood and underrepresented animals conservation efforts. More designs coming soon!

This collaboration is brought to you by

Image Credits © Koch & Friedrich, 1971; Manchester & Kress, 1993; Hou et al., 2015; James Field; Bernard Dupont; Feng et al., 2013; Oh et al., 2002; Unsplash

Inspired by traditional herb drinks favored by many Indonesians, we envision mocking the iconic cultural beverage heritage using the living fossils of ginger and ginkgo.

Wedang

Ginkgo

Does eating a fossil make you feel old? Well, if you are Indonesian, then you must know these two plants closely and might eat them on a regular basis. Next time you eat them, remember that a vegetarian dinosaur might have eaten them too in the past.

Pisang

Melinjo

Kelapa

The word “fossil” might bring your mind to something old, dusty, or ancient. But these plants proved that their preserved beauty still mesmerizes us today.

Meranti

Pekak