Fine leafy calcite with calcite rose / calcite flower from Guilin, China

A specimen with fine foliated calcite and a striking calcite rose from Guilin, China. Three different growth habits of calcite united in a single specimen, a didactically valuable collector's item.

Calcite (CaCO₃) is one of the most habit-rich minerals. On this specimen, three varieties are recognizable: thin-bladed tabular calcite, rose-shaped aggregated rose calcite, and flower-shaped crystallized scalenohedral calcite. Each form is the result of different solution conditions during crystallization.

Such multi-habit specimens form when the solution chemistry and pressure in the cavity oscillate during crystallization. Stable phases produce the tabular form, low pressure the rose-shaped aggregates, and faster crystallization the pointed scalenohedra.

Guilin is located in the karst region of southern China and is world-renowned for well-crystallized carbonate minerals. Recovery takes place in deep cave systems under difficult conditions.

A collector's item with crystallographic diversity in the smallest space.