![]() ![]() ![]() First evidence for the occurrence of fossil Metasequoia in continental Europe. Seedlings will grow 6’ high in a 3-gallon container in a single season. Metasequoia seed cone fragments from the early Maastrichtian Walbeck flora, Germany. ![]() I have collected cones as they open, harvested seeds, stratified for 30 days, with excellent germination. The cones are similar to Sequoia sempervirens, ovoid, egg-shaped, ¾ to 11/4” long, with 14 to 28 scales, maturing in autumn and opening to shed the small, light brown, winged seeds. Trees are wind-firm and resistant to breakage. Metasequoia belongs to an elite group of plants mostly quite unrelated whose stories are the apogee of botanical legend. Growth is fast, easily 2 to 3’ per year, for the first 10 years, if provided reasonable care. The species is surprisingly well suited to drier soils once established. Extremely tolerant of excess moisture and I observed trees in standing water. Excellent tree along streams and in moist soil areas. Single specimens, grouping and groves inspire. Tree bark glows rich saturated orange-red in the late afternoon winter sun. Though deciduous, the unique branching and bark characteristics provide exquisite winter beauty. Due to their size, they are typically too big for gardens. The bark is beautiful, rich reddish brown, slightly shedding in thin strips, the trunk is fluted with a braided appearance. Suggested Uses: Sequoia trees are the largest trees in the world. The cones of the Dawn Redwood can be used in floral arranging and in jewelry. The opposite arrangement permits easy separation from Taxodium distichum, common baldcypress, with alternate branches and buds. The needle-bearing branches, oppositely arranged, abscise in toto in fall. Habit is soft, feathery, conical pyramidal, the needles bright green, turning rusty orange to brown in autumn. Seeds and seedlings were distributed to many public gardens and universities with trees now over 100’. The Dawn Redwood was considered extinct until rediscovered in the 1940s in China and reintroduced via the efforts of the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. ![]()
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