Dawn Redwood
| Metasequoia glyptostroboides | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Cupressaceae |
| Subfamily: | Sequoioideae |
| Genus: | Metasequoia |
| Species: | M. glyptostroboides |
| Binomial name | |
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Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu and W.C.Cheng, 1948 |
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Metasequoia glyptostroboides, the dawn redwood, is a fast-growing, endangered deciduous conifer, the sole living species of the genus Metasequoia, one of three species in the subfamily Sequoioideae. It is native to Lichuan county in the Hubei province of China. Although shortest of the redwoods, it can grow to at least 200 ft (61 m) in height.
The genus Metasequoia was originally reported by palaeobotanist Shigeru Miki as a widely distributed extinct genus based on fossils, before attracting considerable attention a few years later when small populations were found in central China. It is a particularly well-known example of a living fossil species. The tree faces considerable risks of extinction in its wild range due to deforestation, and so has been planted extensively in arboretums worldwide, where it has proved a popular and fast-growing ornamental plant.
Though once common across the northern hemisphere, the Dawn Redwood was originally considered extinct. The genus Metasequoia was first described in 1941 as a fossil of the Mesozoic Era, and none of the fossils discovered were less than 1.5 million years old. Dr. Shigeru Miki (1901–1974), a paleobotanist from Kyoto University, identified a divergent leaf form while studying fossil samples of the family Cupressaceae and realized he was looking at a new genus, which he named Metasequoia, meaning "like a sequoia."
In the same year a forester named T. Kan came across an enormous living specimen while performing a survey in Sichuan and Hubei provinces. Though unaware of Miki’s new genus, he recognized the unique traits of the tree. It formed part of a local shrine, where villagers called it Shui-shan 水杉 or "water fir".
In 1943, Zhan Wang (1911–2000), a Chinese forestry official, collected samples from an unidentified tree in Modaoxi, China (presently, Moudao, Lichuan County, Hubei)—now believed to be the same tree Kan discovered. The samples were determined to belong to a tree yet unknown to science, but World War II postponed further study.
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Wikipedia