This is a large, fast-growing, deciduous, pyramidal evergreen tree that grows up to 100' tall with attractive, feathery foliage that is easy to transplant. It has spreading branches that droop with age. Pin branchlets are paired, and drop as a unit. This plant prefers moist, deep, well-drained soils that are slightly acidic. It is tolerant of wet soils but intolerant of early frees. This plant has minimal pest and disease problems. It can be utilized as a specimen tree for large areas such as parks, golf courses, large commercial or governmental grounds, and as a 'living fossil'. It is also tolerant of pollution and can be used as a street tree. It needs plenty of room to grow as it can grow to be 25' wide. Dawn Redwood was discovered during a plant expedition into remote China in the 1940s. It was first known from a fossil record, not living extant plants.
Japanese beetles will eat the foliage.
Quick ID Hints:
- Deciduous gymnosperms dropping pins
- Pins are opposite and resemble small pinnate leaves
- Female cones are pendulous and ellipsoidal
- Face view of cone scale looks like puckered lips
- In the early 1940s, the genus Metasequoia was known only from the fossil record Fossil record: The totality of all preserved remains of once-living things throughout geological history. Rocks containing the imprints of the dawn redwood’s characteristic needle pattern had been found in North America, Europe, and East Asia.
- A few weeks later, he matched the tree specimens with Metasequoia, the fossil genus published by Miki in 1941. Ma (2002) points out that it is surprising that Hu had received a reprint of Miki's 1941 paper since a war was going on between Japan and China at the time.
Genus Metasequoia Fossil
VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for 'Trees, Shrubs and Conifers' a plant identification course offered in partnership withLongwood Gardens.
Metasequoia Glyptostroboides Lightning
Genus Metasequoia Fossil
Deciduous conifer, tree, grows somewhat slower than the species, bright yellow foliage in spring and retains much of the color throughout the summer; in autumn.