Leaf
Crusier, Wikimedia · CC BY 3.0
Dawn redwood
Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu & W.C.Cheng
Also known as: Chinese redwood
Family: Cupressaceae
25 to 35 m tall
Planted as a specimen tree, moist, deep soils, tolerates wet soils
Flowering: February – March, inconspicuous
Full sun
Very hardy, to about -25°C, tolerates wet soils well
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Dawn redwood was known only as a fossil and thought to have been extinct for millions of years, until its rediscovery alive in a remote valley of China in 1944 — one of the greatest botanical surprises of the 20th century.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous (rare among conifers), fine, opposite, arranged comb-like along the twigs, russet-orange in autumn before falling
🌸 Flowers
Small male and female cones separate on the same plant
🍎 Fruits
Small pendent brown cone with few scales
🪵 Bark
Reddish-brown, fibrous, peeling in long vertical strips
🗺️ Distribution
Native to central China, found alive only in 1944; widely planted in France since
🐝 Value for pollinators
Wind-pollinated, no interest for pollinators
✂️ Horticultural uses
Fast-growing ornamental conifer, one of the few deciduous conifers, planted as a specimen tree for its elegant conical outline
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No notable known toxicity
🌿 Other Cupressaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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