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Dawn Redwoods Facts

Fossils of metasequoia cones and leaves show that dawn redwood grew abundantly across the northern hemisphere over 50 million years ago. Once common, the dawn redwood was considered extinct. Metasequoia glyptostroboides. Shipping Height. 2' Sun Preference. Soil Preference. Acidic, Clay, Drought, Loamy, Moist, Sandy, Well Drained, Wet. This tree provides winter cover for birds, small mammals and deer. The dawn redwood is a living testimony to the surprises still to be found in nature.

To learn more about redwoods, visit our Redwood Forest Facts page.

About Dawn Redwoods

Metasequoia Gold Rush Dawn Redwood

Changing Colors

To the Chinese people, the dawn redwood is second only to the panda as a conservation icon. Thought to have been extinct for millions of years, a Save the Redwoods League group discovered that this unusual member of the redwood family still exists in China, shedding its leaves in the fall.

Cold Stream Farm supplies Dawn Redwood trees which are grown as bare root seedlings and transplants and sold both wholesale and retail with no minimum order. Additional information on Metasequoia glyptostroboides can be found on the link: USDA / NRCS Plants Database. Metasequoia glyptostroboides, commonly called dawn redwood, is a deciduous, coniferous tree that grows in a conical shape to 100’ tall. It is related to and closely resembles bald cypress (Taxodium) and redwood (Sequoia). From fossil records, dawn redwood is known to have existed as many as 50,000,000 years ago.

History

The dawn redwood was once one of the most widespread tree species in the Northern Hemisphere (during the Tertiary period). Scientists had identified fossil remains of this redwood in North America, Asia and Greenland and had concluded that it must have been extinct for millions of years. However, in 1944, a Chinese forester found an enormous dawn redwood in the Sichuan province of China. In 1948, a small group—partially financed by Save the Redwoods League and including future League President Ralph Chaney—traveled to south-central China and found a few thousand of the trees growing in lowland canyons. Villagers in the Sichuan region were using the foliage for cattle fodder and the wood for bridges and other construction. The dawn redwood tree, thought to have been extinct for 20 million years, now had living representatives known to the world.

Biology

Dawn redwoods’ colorful leaves are one trait that separates this species from its family members. The only living species in its genus, the dawn redwood is a deciduous tree rather than an evergreen. This means that it sheds its leaves in the fall, is bare in winter and grows new leaves in the spring. It is also the smallest of the three redwoods: dawn redwoods are typically between 50 and 60 feet tall, but can grow taller than 160 feet with a trunk about 7 feet in diameter. It is considered a fast-growing tree and is often planted as an ornamental.

Conservation

Today you can see naturally occurring populations of dawn redwoods in various locations in China, including the hills and wetlands of Hubei’s Lichuan County and the Hunan Province. In the United States, you can find 200 dawn redwoods at the Crescent Ridge Dawn Redwoods Preserve (CRDRP) in North Carolina, and at botanical gardens. Dawn redwoods have also been planted in Japan, near schools, museums and temples.

The dawn redwood is commonly known as “water-fir” or “water pine” in China because of its tendency to grow in low-lying areas near rivers and streams—the same conditions that support rice cultivation.

Research

When League-supported researchers traveled to China’s remote Shui-hsu Valley in south-central China in 1948, they found a few thousand trees growing in narrow canyons that opened into the wide valley. Rice and other crops were being cultivated in these lowlands, but the researchers guessed that the valley was probably once covered with dawn redwood forests. Because of its deciduous nature, they also considered the possibility that the dawn redwood could live in regions colder than its current range. They collected cuttings and seeds and sent them to Asia, Europe and North America to be grown in public and private gardens. Their experiments—in which seedlings survived harsh winters in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon—found that the dawn redwood is suited to live in environments much colder than China; their range likely once included such frigid climates.

You Can Help

Today, it takes a community including private landowners, parks, local communities, scientists and our supporters, to safeguard redwood forests. Together, we protect redwood forests from threats such as unsustainable development; restore the forests we have lost; and connect people to these towering wonders of nature. With your help, we can leave the forests — and the world — in a better place than we found them.

Metasequoia, or dawn redwoods, is a genus of fast-growing deciduous trees, one of three species of conifers known as redwoods. The living species Metasequoia glyptostroboides is native to Lichuan county in Hubei province, China. Although the shortest of the redwoods, it grows to at least 165 feet (50 meters) in height. Local villagers refer to the original tree from which most others derive as Shui-shan (水杉）, or 'water fir', which is part of a local shrine. Since its rediscovery in 1944, the dawn redwood has become a popular ornamental, with examples found in various parks in a variety of countries.

What Is A Dawn Redwood

Together with Sequoia sempervirens (coast redwood) and Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia) of California, Metasequoia is classified in the Cupressaceae subfamily Sequoioideae. M. glyptostroboides is the only living species in its genus, but three fossil species are known. Sequoioideae and several other genera have been transferred from the former family Taxodiaceae to Cupressaceae based on DNA analysis.^[1]

Paleontology[edit]

Metasequoia redwood fossils are known from many areas in the Northern Hemisphere; more than 20 fossil species have been named (some were even identified as the genus Sequoia), but are considered as just three species, M. foxii, M. milleri, and M. occidentalis.^[2] Fossils are known from the Cenomanian onwards. During the Paleocene and Eocene, extensive forests of Metasequoia occurred as far north as Strathcona Fiord on Ellesmere Island and sites on Axel Heiberg Island (northern Canada) at around 80° N latitude.^[3]Metasequoia was likely deciduous by this time. Given that the high latitudes in this period were warm and tropical, it is hypothesized that the deciduous trait evolved in response to the unusual light availability patterns, not to major seasonal variations in temperature.^[4] During three months in the summer, the sun would shine continuously, while three months of the winter would be complete darkness. It is also hypothesized that the change from evergreen to deciduous trait occurred before colonizing the high latitudes and was the reason Metasequoia was dominant in the north.^[5]

Large petrified trunks and stumps of the extinct Metasequoia occidentalis (sometimes identified as Sequoia occidentalis) also make up the major portion of Tertiary fossil plant material in the badlands of western North Dakota.

The trees are well known from late Cretaceous to Miocene strata, but no fossils are known after that. Before its discovery, the taxon was believed to have become extinct during the Miocene; when it was discovered extant, it was heralded as a 'living fossil'.

Appearance[edit]

The bark and foliage are similar to Sequoia, but Metasequoia is deciduous like Taxodium distichum (bald cypress), and, similarly, older specimens form wide buttresses on the lower trunk. It is a fast-growing tree to 130–150 feet (40–45 m) tall and 6 feet (2 m) in trunk diameter in cultivation so far (with the potential to grow even higher).

The leaves are opposite, 0.4-1.25 inches (1–3 cm) long, and bright fresh green, turning foxy red-brown in fall. The pollen cones are 0.25 inch (6 mm) long, produced on long spikes in early spring; they are only produced on trees growing in regions with hot summers. The cones are globose to ovoid, 0.6-1.0 inches (1.5-2.5 cm) in diameter with 16–28 scales, arranged in opposite pairs in four rows, each pair at right angles to the adjacent pair; they mature in about 8–9 months after pollination.

Metasequoia has experienced morphological stasis for the past 65 million years: the modern Metasequoia glyptostroboides appears identical to its late Cretaceous ancestors.^[6]

History[edit]

The fossil of this genus was discovered by Shigeru Miki in 1939. In 1941, Miki published the description of the fossil plant which he gave the name 'Metasequoia'. In the winter of the same year, a Chinese botanist Toh Gan (干铎） discovered an unusual big tree in Modaoxi (磨刀溪; presently, Moudao (谋道), in Lichuan County, Hubei^[7]). The locals called this tree shui-sha (水桫). Because it was winter, the tree already lost all its leaves, so no specimens were collected by Mr. Gan. In 1942, another botanist, Mr. Zhan Wang (王战）visited Modaoxi and collected living specimens. Mr. Wang believed this tree belonged to an known species Glyptostrobus pensilis (水松） and filed the specimens away. In 1945, Mr. Wang showed the specimen to botanist Wan-Chun Cheng （郑万钧）. Mr. Cheng determined that the tree did not belong to Glyptostrobus pensilis, but was a new species. Mr. Cheng then sent specimen to prominent botanist H.H.Hu, the director of Fan Memorial Institute of Biology. Hu, despite the chaos of war between China and Japan, was still keeping track of international botanic literature. Hu recognized the living specimen was of the same genus of Miki's fossil genus 'Metasequoia'. After more study, Hu and Cheng published the new species Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et Cheng) in May 1948 in the Bulletin of Fan Memorial Institute of Biology. The discovery of 'living fossil' instantly attracted attention from botanists around the world. It was widely regarded as 'the greatest discovery of botany in 20th century'. In 1948, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, through the help of Hu and Cheng, funded an expedition by Chinese collectors to collect seeds. Soon after, seeds were distributed to various universities and arboreta worldwide for growth trials.

Metasequoia Glyptostroboides Dawn Redwood

Presently, a number of natural Metasequoia populations exist in the hills and wetlands of Hubei's Lichuan County. Most of them are small, with fewer than 30 trees each; however, the largest of them, in Xiaohe Valley, is estimated to consist of around 5,400 trees.^[7] A few trees are also said to exist in neighboring Hunan Province.^[7]

Genus Metasequoia

Metasequoia in gardens, parks and streets[edit]

Dawn redwoods are fast-growing trees. They sometimes grow too large in smaller gardens under favorable conditions, but they can be a good choice for a wide range of larger gardens and parks. Although they live in wet sites in their native habitat they will also tolerate dry soils.^[8] Unlike most conifers, their deciduous habit means they do not cast too much shade in winter. They are grown as street trees in London and elsewhere.

Strawberry Fields is a landscaped section in New York City's Central Park dedicated to Beatle John Lennon. At the northern end of the lawns are three dawn redwood trees. The trees drop their needles each fall and regrow them each spring, a symbol of eternal renewal. The trees are expected to reach a height of 36 meters (118 ft), making them visible from great distances.^{[citation needed]}

References[edit]

1. ^Paul A. Gadek; Deryn L. Alpers; Margaret M. Heslewood; Christopher J. Quinn (2000). 'Relationships within Cupressaceae sensu lato: a combined morphological and molecular approach'. American Journal of Botany. 87 (7): 1044–1057. doi:10.2307/2657004. JSTOR2657004. PMID10898782.
2. ^A. Farjon (2005). Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN1-84246-068-4.
3. ^Christopher J. Williams; Arthur H. Johnson; Ben A. LePage; David R. Vann; Tatsuo Sweda (2003). 'Reconstruction of Tertiary Metasequoia forests. II. Structure, biomass, and productivity of Eocene floodplain forests in the Canadian Arctic'(PDF). Paleobiology. 29 (2): 271–292. doi:10.1666/0094-8373(2003)029<0271:ROTMFI>2.0.CO;2.
4. ^Ralph W. Chaney (1948). 'The bearing of the living Metasequoia on problems of Tertiary paleobotany'. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 34 (11): 503–515. Bibcode:1948PNAS...34..503C. doi:10.1073/pnas.34.11.503. JSTOR88221. PMC1079159. PMID16588827.
5. ^Richard Jagels & Maria A. Equiza (2005). Competitive advantages of Metasequoia in warm high latitudes. pp. 335–349. In LePage et al (2005).
6. ^Ben A. LePage, Hong Yang & Midori Matsumoto (2005). The evolution and biogeographic history of Metasequoia. pp. 3–115. In LePage et al (2005).
7. ^ ^abcGaytha A. Langlois (2005). A conservation plan for Metasequoia in China. pp. 367–418. ISBN9781402026317. In LePage et al (2005).
8. ^B.G. Hibberd, ed. (1989). Urban Forestry Practice, Forestry Commission Handbook 5. p. 61. In Hibberd (1989).

Further reading[edit]

• Zican He; Jianqiang Li; Qing Cai; Xiaodong Li; Hongwen Huang (2004). 'Cytogenetic studies on Metasequoia glyptostroboides, a living fossil species'. Genetica. 122 (3): 269–276. doi:10.1007/s10709-004-0926-x. PMID15609550. S2CID19447950.
• Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Metasequoia and Associated Plants, August 6–10, 2006, Metasequoia: Back from the Brink? An Update. Edited by Hong Yang and Leo J. Hickey. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Volume 48, Issue 2 31 October 2007, pp. 179–426. [1]
• The Reports of the Third International Metasequoia Symposium, August 3 to 8, 2010, Osaka, Japan [2]
• A. Hope Jahren & Leonel Silveira Lobo Sternberg (2003). 'Humidity estimate for the middle Eocene Arctic rain forest'(PDF). Geology. 31 (5): 463–466. Bibcode:2003Geo....31..463J. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(2003)031<0463:HEFTME>2.0.CO;2. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
• Christopher J. Williams; Ben A. LePage; David R. Vann; Takeshi Tange; Hiroyuki Ikeda; Makoto Ando; Tomoko Kusakabe; Hayato Tsuzuki; Tatsuo Sweda (2003). 'Structure, allometry, and biomass of plantation Metasequoia glyptostroboides in Japan'(PDF). Forest Ecology and Management. 180 (1–3): 287–301. doi:10.1016/S0378-1127(02)00567-4. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2008-04-11.
• Ben A. LePage; Christopher James Williams; Hong Yang, eds. (2005). The Geobiology and Ecology of Metasequoia. Topics in geobiology. 22. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Springer. ISBN1-4020-2631-5.
• B.G. Hibberd, ed. (1989). Urban Forestry Practice, Forestry Commission Handbook 5(PDF). London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN0-11-710273-3.

External links[edit]

Metasequoia Tree

• 'Metasequoia glyptostroboides'. Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
• D.A. Hänks. 'Crescent Ridge Dawn Redwoods Preserve'.
• Hu, H.H. & Cheng, W.C. 1948. Bulletin of the Fan Memorial Institute of Biology, new series 1: 154.
• 'Feb'. World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Metasequoia Glyptostroboides Dawn Redwood