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Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Common name:	Dawn Redwood	Family:	Taxodiaceae
Author:	Hu.& W.C.Cheng.	Botanical references:	11, 200, 266
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China.
Habitat:	Ravines and banks of streams in Hupeh and Szechwan[11]. Riparian habitats on valley floors and in moist ravine bottoms, on acidic, montane yellow-earth soils in regions with moderate climate[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Dawn Redwood [DEN1,H,P],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Pinales. Redwood family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Us

Physical Characteristics

A decidious tree growing to 15m by 4m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 5 and is frost tender. It is in flower from February to March, and the seeds ripen from October to November. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry moist or wet soil and can grow in water.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Pond, Bog Garden, Hedge, Woodland, Canopy.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Hedge Soil stabilization.

Plants can be grown as a tall hedge[29].
Plants have an extensive root system and so they are used to stabilize river banks and paddy field walls[200].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most soils and situations[11], even in shallow standing water[81]. It is slow growing in dry soils or shallow chalk but grows rapidly in moist or wet soils[11, 29, 81]. Succeeds in most pH's down to 3.5[200]. Requires a sunny position but likes as much side shelter as possible[200].
A very hardy plant when dormant, tolerating temperatures down to about -30° c[200]. The fresh spring growth, however, is subject to damage by late frosts[11, 200]. It grows best in south-eastern England and poorly in Scotland where it suffers from the lack of summer warmth[185, 200]. Growth can be very rapid when young with annual increases of 1 metre common. However, unless the tree is in a sheltered position and a moist soil the growth rate reduces dramatically once it is 6 metres tall[185]. New growth takes place from May to August[185].
This plant was only known from fossil records until it was discovered growing wild in China in 1941.

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame.
Cuttings of mature wood, late autumn in a frame. Very easy[81].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.

References for the family Taxodiaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[29] Shepherd. F.W. Hedges and Screens. Royal Horticultural Society. 1974 ISBN 0900629649
A small but informative booklet giving details of all the hedging plants being grown in the R.H.S. gardens at Wisley in Surrey.

[81] Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X
Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.

[185] Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975 ISBN 0-11-710012-9
A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.