DAWN REDWOOD

(species Metasequoia glyptostroboides), coniferous, nonevergreen tree and only living species of the genus Metasequoia, of the deciduous cypress family (Taxodiaceae), native to remote valleys of central China. In the dawn redwood, both branchlets and leaves grow out in pairs from points along the stem. The bright-green, feathery leaves turn reddish brown in autumn. The cones have long, slender stalks. Fossils now known as Metasequoia were once considered to belong to the genus Sequoia; the genus Metasequoia was not delineated and named until 1941. The abundance of fossil specimens indicated widespread distribution in the northern and middle latitudes of Asia and North America during the Cretaceous and early Tertiary periods. Until living trees were discovered in the 1940s, Metasequoia was thought to be extinct. Only a few thousand trees are known to have survived in central China, at altitudes of 700 to 1,400 m (2,300 to 4,600 feet). Since these stands were discovered, seeds and cuttings have been planted throughout the world.