![]() ![]() Though related to Sequoia (California Redwood), Metasequoia differs in that it is deciduous (drops leaves in the fall), similar to bald cypress. Reaching heights of at least 200 feet, it is truly a large specimen. The trees are thriving here due to more ideal growing conditions than in China.Īs its common name, Dawn Redwood, implies, Metasequoia is indeed related to the famous redwood trees in California, known as coastal redwoods. This preserve, called Crescent Ridge Dawn Redwoods Preserve, is set to open to the public in 2035. A 50-acre preserve has been established at the southern end of the Appalachia in North Carolina in an attempt to preserve the species. ![]() Fossils of Metasequoia have been discovered all throughout the northern hemisphere. ![]() Marked as a Critically Endangered species, steps are being taken even here in the United States to preserve the species as a wild growing tree. Click to learn more about the Franklinia. An example of a North American tree that went extinct in the wild for the same reason is the Franklinia alatamaha. This could lead to the extinction of the tree in the wild, though kept from global extinction due to its extensive planting elsewhere. If the older trees were to start dying, or any sort of natural destruction were to occur, there won’t be any younger trees to replace them. On the negative side, the cones and seeds are so sought after that they are collected constantly, preventing it from naturally reproducing. On the positive side, Metasequoia is now protected under Chinese conservation law and planted extensively. This status has produced both positive and negative consequences. Discovered in the 1940s, the limited population has made the tree a source of national pride in China. The only region where the tree was found growing in the wild is in the Sichuan-Hubei region of China, and there are only 5,000+ of them. ![]() Referred to as a Lazarus Taxon, a species that disappears from fossil records only to reappear in a later period, either again as a fossil or a living specimen, Metasequoia is truly a remarkable specimen to study. Not only thought to be extinct until the 1940s, but also what is known as a living fossil, very little to no discernable change exists between the trees growing today and the fossil record from the past. Allow me to bring you into this very scenario with Metasequoia glyptostroboides, also known as the Dawn Redwood. If a fossil of an extinct species were to suddenly be alive today in almost identical form as it was living millions of years ago, not only would this feat in itself be amazing, but scientists would be jumping at the opportunity to study it. National Plant Germplasm Resources Information Network, September 2011 version. via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera Web publication, available at (accessed August 2007). A compilation of generic names published for organisms covered by the ICN: International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants. DON) ENDL.) and Relationship of Coast Redwood to other Genera of Taxodiaceae, Silvae Genetica 51 2-3, 93-100įarr, E. (2002) Origins of Polyploidy in Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens (D. (1993) Flora of the Ravenscrag Formation (Paleocene), Southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada, Palaeontographica Canadiana 10, 1-85Īhuja M. (1976) Fossil floras of the Smoky Tower locality, Alberta, Canada, Palaeontographica Abteilung B 157 1-4, 1-43 (1977) Stratigraphy and paleobotany of the Golden Valley Formation (Early Tertiary) of western North Dakota, The Geological Society of America Memoir 150, 1-183Ĭhristophel D. Plantae : Tracheophyta : Pinopsida : Pinales : Cupressaceae : Metasequoia The Geological Society of America Memoir 150:1-183 Stratigraphy and paleobotany of the Golden Valley Formation (Early Tertiary) of western North Dakota. Life : Plantae : Pinophyta : Pinopsida : Pinales : Taxodiaceae : Metasequoia Life : Plantae : Tracheophyta : Pinopsida : Pinales : Cupressaceae : Metasequoia Global Biodiversity Information Facility ID (GBIF) From Wikipedia article at, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |