Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Common Name
Dawn Redwood

Family
Cupressaceae (Cypress)

Tree or plant type / form
Woody deciduous conifer, upright pyramidal habit

Landscape Use
Fast-growing specimen, street, park, or screening tree where space permits

Season of interest and/or other ornamental feature(s)
Multiple seasons of interest; fresh green foliage turns reddish bronze in fall; with age the lower trunk broadens and develops a sculpted, fluted profile, the statuesque ascending branching pattern provides interest throughout the year

Size at Landscape Maturity  
Large tree reaching 40 to 50’ tall and 20 feet wide in 20 years, can eventually reach over 100 ft tall and 40 ft wide on favorable sites

Light exposure
Full sun to moderate shade

USDA Hardiness zones
4 – 8

Origin / Native locale
Central and western China

Wildlife Value (incl. pollinators)
Provides winter cover for birds and small mammals

Soil Type & Drainage
Prefers moist to wet soil, but is adaptable to drier conditions

Tolerances
Dry sites once established, occasional flooding, road salt, deer, air pollution

Leaf Description
Soft, short needle-like leaves with a feathery, fern-like appearance. Light green needles emerge in spring, maturing to a deep green in summer and turning a bronze red in the before dropping in late fall.

Bloom Time in Northeast Ohio
Pollen is shed from male cones in late winter into early spring

Flower Description
Inconspicuous

Cone / Fruit
Trees are monoecious producing elongated female cones up to one inch long and smaller male (pollen) cones that hang together on chain-like structures through the winter

Available at
Secrest Arboretum Plant Discovery Days and selected local nurseries

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Use the Secrest Aboretum Explorer to find locations where this plant is located on the Wooster campus.

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