Plenty of room should be given when planted, since the tree gets very large.

This tree is also tolerant to air pollution. Prefers acidic, moist, and well-drained soils, though can tolerate clay and wet soils. The perfect spot to enjoy the changing faces of the seasons. Geographic Origin: Central and western China ( non-native)Ĭultivation Notes: Requires low maintenance. Approximately 500 dawn redwoods (Metasequoia) form a beautiful avenue stretching over 2.4km. The foliage of this Asiatic conifer is very similar to that of the North American bald cypress ( Taxodium distichum ). It grows 70-100 feet high and 25 feet wide.įoliage: Deciduous (leaves lost seasonally) The dawn redwood or just plain 'metasequoia' ( Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is one of the three species of sequoia (together with the giant sequoia, Sequoiadendron giganteum and the coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens ). With age, the trunk broadens at the base and develops intricate fluting. Bark is a red-brown, fissured, and exfoliates into long strips. Female cones are oval and light brown while male cones are round and hang from branches. In the fall, the needles turn an orange-brown to red-brown and fall from the tree in early winter. However, it was not until 1941 that it was discovered by humans near the town of Modaoqi, China.Ĭharacteristics: The ½ inch long needles are feathery and bright green. The Dawn Redwood comes from China and is. Fossil records show that the dawn redwood may have existed up to 50 million years ago. The Dawn Redwood and the Coast Redwood Bonsai are both very tall upright trees with soft needle-shaped foliage. It is able to thrive in standing water, and. It is now a popular ornamental tree grown in a wide range of temperate climates. Delicate flat sprays of narrow, bright chartreuse yellow leaves emerge in spring, mature to golden yellow in summer, before warming up to rich. (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) Dawn redwood is an ancient 'living fossil' tree originating in central China, thought to be extinct until as recently as 1943. Unlike most cone-bearing trees, it loses its foliage each winter. It features an upright, narrowly conical form that enhances many landscapes. This tree differs from the majority of conifers, since it loses its needles seasonally. Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Gold Rush' (Dawn Redwood) is a large deciduous coniferous tree of great beauty. It has feathery and soft-to-the-touch needles which are green in the summer and turn orange-brown in the fall. It is easy to grow and develops rapidly.The dawn redwood is a pyramidal conifer that can grow up to 100 feet high. It was first known from a fossil record, not living extant plants. However, the continued existence of the species has been assured by plantings throughout the temperate zones of the world. Dawn Redwood was discovered during a plant expedition into remote China in the 1940s. Trees have been destroyed particularly during the Cultural Revolution.

General Notes: A Metasequoia glyptostroboides in Palo Alto is registered as a California Big Tree. In its natural habitat the dawn redwood is extremely threatened. dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostrobides). The biggest problem is the Finnish summer, which is rather too short, cool and dry. Given a long enough autumn to harden off, it is hardy to extreme cold. In the very south of Finland conifer enthusiasts have grown the species with varying success. The 1950s plantings have died, but new plantings have been made in 20 at the warm northern edge of the Alppiruusulaakso (Rhododendron Valley), near beeches, where they are protected from autumn frosts. Dawn redwoods in Canfield Court, one set of three on the left (background). Autumn colour is a warm light brown.įinland lies at the very extreme of hardiness for the dawn redwood. Metasequoia glyptostroboides dawn redwood. The dawn redwood’s needle-like leaves are bright fresh green and the trunk red-brown, becoming buttressed with age. Both the dawn redwood and the swamp cypresses enjoy moist to wet conditions and loose their needles in winter. The dawn redwood resembles its American relatives the swamp cypresses ( Taxodium). The tallest of these trees are now over 20m (65 ft.) Mustila Arboretum was among the first to receive seeds, and plants grown from these seeds were sent to Gothenburg Botanic Garden as early as 1952. Understandably, several seed collecting expeditions were made to China in the late 1940s. Due to the war, it took two or three years to confirm that they were the first living individuals of the genus, the dawn redwoods.

Dawn Redwood is a fast-growing, pest-free and fine-textured conifer. But then in the early 1940s some strange trees were discovered in the Hubei province in China. Discovered as a living fossil in China in 1941, it prefers a moist, well-drained soil. Earlier, the Metasequoia genus was only known through fossils.

Metasequoia dawn redwood