Dawn Redwood

Basic Information
Tree ID: 
7
Family: 
Cupressaceae
Genus and species: 
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Description: 
The is Metasequoia glyptostroboides a rather tall standing around 66ft 5in though are still smaller than their larger redwood cousins (Sequoiadendron giganteum) on the west coast. For a while these trees were thought tho be extinct, as they had previously only been seen in the fossil record.
Surveyors: 
Kelly Sherman
Location
Area: 
Marsh and Farnam Gardens
Collected Data
Tree shape: 
Columnular
Date of tree entry: 
03/21/2014
Height: 
20.23 m
Diameter at breast height: 
0.66 m

Bark
The dawn redwood has scaly bark. Scaly bark sometimes looks altered in some of trees because scaly bark can be shed.
Twigs & branches
The dawn redwood has opposite branching twigs, meaning that branches sprout directly across from each other, rather than staggering themselves.
Foilage
Though the dawn dedwood looks like an evergreen tree, the needles start to die in the fall making it a deciduous tree. The needles are green, when alive and are about half an inch long. When the needles are dead they turn an orangey brown color.
Reproductive Structures
The dawn redwood is a monoecious plant, meaning that it contains both male and female parts on separate cones but the same tree. The male parts tend to form in groups while female cones grow singularly. * In the creative story I imply that Dawn is actually dioecious, meaning that different plants have different sexes. This is simply creative liberty for the sake of the story,though it is usually evolutionarily unfavorable to self-fertilize because this limits genetic diversity.
Fruit
The small cones that the Dawn Redwood forms protect and shield the precious seeds inside. The cones are brown and usually vary from half an inch to an inch long.
Seasons
  • My tree in the WInter
  • My Tree in the Spring
  • My Tree in the Summer
Research
Natural range of distribution: 
Habitat: 
The trees grow natively in the Sichuan–Hubei provinces of China, which are located in the west and south east. The seeds of the tree were then brought over the the US and now the dawn redwood grows almost anywhere East of the Mississippi River. The trees are rather hardy and can survive in heat and frost though it cannot stand nutrient rich environments.
Origin, history, and uses: 

Originally the dawn redwood was thought to be an extinct plant, and had only been found in fossils in Japan, however it was later found alive in 1941 in China. In 1947 seeds from the dawn redwood trees were brought to the US. The trees are purely decorative. Their wood is soft and brittle and cannot be used for timber, however their rapid growth makes them ideal for screening. Screening allows for privacy, noise reduction, and protection from elements.

Phenology: 
During the fall the dawn redwood will lose its leaves like most other deciduous plants. Also like most other plants cones emerge in the spring and seeds are set in the summer.
References: 
Works Cited
“Best Privacy Screen Trees and Shrubs | Arbor Day Foundation Blog.” Arbor Day Foundation Blog. Arbor Day Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
“Dawn Redwood: Ancient Tree, Modern Choices.” The Oregonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
“Dawn Redwood (Glyptostroboides).” Garden Guides. Dream Media, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
“Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia Glyptostroboides).” STIHL. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
“Dawn Redwood.” Tree in a Box. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
“Gmelina Hainanensis.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
“Keteleeria Evelyniana.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Apr. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
“Metasequoia Glyptostroboides Fact Sheet.” Metasequoia Glyptostroboides Fact Sheet. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
“Metasequoia Glyptostroboides.” UConn Plant Database. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
“Metasequoia Glyptostroboides.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Mar. 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
“Phenology.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Apr. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
“Regions of China.” Alpstyle Travel. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
“Types of Bark and Functions.” Types of Bark and Functions. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
Wildscreen. “Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia Glyptostroboides).” Dawn Redwood Videos, Photos and Facts. N.p., 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
More
Media and Arts

Once upon a time…

         There was a tiny Metasequoia glyptostroboides tree named Dawn. She lived in a forest in China with other trees like the Gemelina hainanensis named Melina and a Keteleeria Evelynian named Evie. She and all the other trees were living happily in the forest until puberty hit. Dawn shot up like a rocket while Evie and Melina grew gracefully and gradually never hitting that awkward phase in life that everyone wishes they could forget. Soon Dawn towered over her friends by at least 20 or so feet and was still growing. She began to feel awkward and shy and even worse Evie and Melina started to make fun of her size.

         Poor Dawn. She was lonely with no other Metasequoia glyptostroboides like herself. The only metasequoias Dawn knew were the pictures in rocks she had seen when she was just a sapling. No one was there to guide her through puberty. All of the other trees gossiped about how Melina had already gotten…pollinated (gasp!). In fact as time went on Dawn realized all of her friends were getting deflowered and she was the only one who hadn’t found another metasequoia to be pollinated by.

         Dawn was depressed and decided she needed to go find herself. She decided to go abroad to start her life over. Then she realized, she was still rooted to the ground. She let out a deep sigh and was about to cry when a small Chinese man wandered into the forest. As the man wandered through the forest he observed all the trees and drew them in his note pad admiring them and complimenting their beauty. Dawn knew, once again, she was going to be overlooked and ignored while Melina and Evie were going to get all the attention. However as soon as the man saw Dawn he was left awe struck. He immediately sat down and started recording all that he could about her. Dawn was flushed with pride.

         “This must be the most glorious tree in all the land, never in my life have I seen anything so rare and tall” cried the man “but alas, no one will believe that I have found such a lovely tree”. With that Dawn had an idea! She snapped off a tiny twig from herself and it fell right in front of the man. “Oh my!” he exclaimed with surprise. Suddenly the man had an idea. “ I can use this stem to propagate another of its kind!…Why am I saying all this out loud?” With that the man scurried out of the forest and to his lab.

         Dawn was elated. Finally she was going to have a child and even more she and her child would be famous. Little did Dawn know that her little branch was taken to the North Eastern Region of the US to try to start a new colony. Dawn’s baby propagated hundreds of other Metasequoia glyptostroboides all over the Eastern part of the United States. Dawn for once was happy in her life and as celebration she gave Melina the bird… that was living in her branches. (What were you thinking?)

The end.