All plants have a story, but few are as interesting or as well-known as that of the Dawn Redwood. Botanically known as Metasequoia glyptostroboides, the plant was thought to be long extinct and was recognized only from fossils until 1941, when it was noticed along a roadside in China. A beautiful tree that I have long admired at Willowwood Arboretum, my understanding of its ‘story’ recently grew after reading Metasequoia After 50 Years in Arnoldia, the Magazine of the Arnold Arboretum. Its pyramidal form can be seen in the picture at right at Frelinghuysen Arboretum where several plants can be seen surrounding a Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) displaying its orange fall color.
Metasequoia is currently a member of the Cupressaceae or Cypress Family. The genus name was created in 1939 by the Japanese botanist Shigeru Miki (1901-1974) after he studied fossils uncovered near Tokyo. The name comes from the Greek Meta, meaning ‘among’ and Sequoia, the genus for California Redwood. It describes how this genus resembles Sequoia, although it lacks the evergreen foliage of the Californian native.
As can be seen above, Dawn Redwood develops into a very stately tree with a strong central leader reaching well over 100’ tall! The overall habit is distinctly pyramidal and the rich, reddish brown bark develops ropey plates that run vertically up the trunk. The base of the trunk has a very pronounced root flair (pictured above at the Willowwood Arboretum). This flair is enhanced when planted in a moist location – a trait thought to improve stability in marshy soils. With a touch of imagination, each undulation of the trunk combined with the pronounced root flair gives the appearance of the lower legs and feet of a Mastodon!
At a casual glance, the glossy and dark green foliage appears just like a pinnately compound leaf with a central stem and numerous, 1” long by ⅛” wide leafy segments arranged along both sides of this stem. In actuality, they are 3-4” long, leafy branches or branchlets that are arranged oppositely along the stems. In November, the branchlets turn a fiery orange for several weeks (as seen above) and despite the quantity of leaves produced, the fallen branchlets create few issues as they filter into a lawn after a few passes with the lawnmower. Rather unique to this species, plants develop pronounced depressions under the branches which resemble armpits, giving it a mystical appearance befitting of a J. R. Tolkien novel as seen below at the Morris Arboretum!
Perhaps not a Tolkien novel, but the story of its earthly travels is still fascinating to read! In Arnoldia’s tribute, Dr. Hong Yang of Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute highlighted the gradual movement of the tree throughout the millennia. The tree is believed to have initially evolved in Eastern Russia around 100 Million Years Ago (MYA). Based on early fossil records, it became apparent the plant has changed little over time and has always preferred moist and temperate climates – the driving forces behind its travels! Initially, the plant spread south into Japan and east into North America via the Bering Land Bridge connecting Russia with Alaska. As temperatures moderated around 60 MYA, the plant followed the warmth north into regions around the North Pole and into Northern Europe. As temperatures cooled 40-35 MYA, the tree pushed south into central Eurasia. As the climate warmed around 14 MYA, the plant once again moved north into the Arctic Circle, only to vanish from North America and Eurasia by 5 MYA, leaving the last remaining population in Japan. During the Pleistocene Ice Age of 2.6 million to 12,000 years ago, a land bridge developed between Japan and China. This bridge enabled Metasequoia to move into China, where it became established in the Province of Sichuan.
This area of China was still very remote in 1941. This remoteness explained why the plant was never noticed until the winter of 1941 when Professor T. Kan of the Department of Forestry noticed this unusual plant along a roadside. The tree was brought to the attention of Hsen-Hsu Hu (1894-1968), a Chinese Botanist and scholar who, along with fellow botanist Wan Chun Cheng (1908-1987) properly described the species in 1948 as Metasequoia glyptostroboides. I always found the name to be a tongue twister, but its ‘roots’ are rather logical. When the tree was first found, it was thought to be Glyptostrobus pensilis, commonly called Water Pine. By adding the Greek suffix of Oides, meaning ‘resembling’ to the genus, the authors paid homage to how Dawn Redwood resembles the Water Pine! The common name was crafted by the San Francisco Chronicle and illustrated how this plant was seemingly as old as the dawn of time! Seeds were sent back to the Arnold Arboretum in 1948 and distributed to 76 different institutions, including Princeton University, which shared three seedlings – including the plant I came to know so well – with the Tubbs brothers who lived at Willowwood!
As the Chinese name of Shui-Shan or Water Fir suggests, plants enjoy a location which remains moist but well-drained in zones 4-8. So long as the temperature remains warm and moisture ample, the plants will grow indeterminately until the conditions change, which explains their rapid growth in warm, moist locations. The 1952 planting along the Wissahickon Creek at Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia by Dr. Hui-Lin Li typifies this ideal environment (as seen in the featured image above). The trees were planted near the bank of the stream, allowing ample access to water. These trees were underplanted with Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia pensylvanica), providing a vision of what regions of the world could have looked like 60 MYA! Plants can also thrive in humus rich soils that are not always moist. At Crystal Springs in Hamburg NJ (pictured below), a tunnel-like effect was created by planting several Dawn Redwoods on either side of a curving walk and judiciously removing some of the lower branches. The trees were underplanted with Annabelle Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’) to enhance the tunnel-like effect and the mystery of what awaits beyond!
Metasequoia glyptostroboides is a mouthful, yet its story makes the plant a great addition to your garden. If you wish to learn more of its story, I encourage you to read Arnoldia (issue 58/4*59/1, 1999) that is available online. I have had the pleasure of working beside the NJ state champion at Willowwood Arboretum and recanting its story to many of our visitors – it’s a story that never grows old!
By Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture, Morris County Parks Commission
