Photo 1925

Dawn redwood cone

I've cropped out the ruler — but this cone — from a type of redwood (“Metasequoia glyptostroboides”), is only 2 centimeters long! Photographed at home, but cones collected from a specimen down the street and around a couple corners.

From Missouri Botanical Garden, http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a396 » “From fossil records, dawn redwood is known to have existed as many as 50,000,000 years ago. However, it was not until 1941 that dawn redwood was first discovered growing in the wild near the town of Modaoqi China by Chinese forester, T. Kan. Seeds collected from the original site were made available to the Missouri Botanical Garden in 1947. Seedlings grown therefrom were planted in front of the Lehmann Building at MBG in 1952 where they have now developed into large mature trees (70'+ tall). Dawn redwood is a deciduous, coniferous tree that grows in a conical shape to 100' tall. It is related to and closely resembles bald cypress (Taxodium) and redwood (Sequoia). It features linear, feathery, fern-like foliage that is soft to the touch. Foliage emerges light green in spring, matures to deep green in summer and turns red-bronze in fall. As the tree matures, the trunk broadens at the base and develops attractive and sometimes elaborate fluting. Trees are monoecious, producing oval, light brown female cones (¾" long) and pendant globose male cones (½" long). The twigs, needles and cone scales are in opposite pairs. For an interesting study of the dawn redwood including the plants growing at the Missouri Botanical Garden we recommend this website, http://www.skidmore.edu/gis/research/metasequoia/

“This is a large tree that needs a large space. Excellent landscape specimen or street tree. May be an effective container plant when small.”

Photo taken in my foldio (with GorillaPod, I think).

Species page at PhytoImages, http://phytoimages.siu.edu/cgi-bin/dol/dol_terminal.pl?taxon_name=Metasequoia_glyptostroboides&rank=binomial

1 year ago (“Old joints…”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2015-04-03
2 years ago (“Sago palm”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2014-04-03
3 years ago (“Stand apart from the crowd”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2013-04-03
4 years ago (“Back in the library: An abstract explained”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2012-04-03
5 years ago (“Homeowners, start your mowers!”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2011-04-03

[ IMG_9593S12x9Cstm :: f/14 (+1) :: 1/30" :: ISO-800 :: 60mm :: foldio ]

3rd April 2016 3rd Apr 16