Tree Categories: Fast Growing Trees and Shade Trees
Mature Tree Height: 60+ feet tall | Mature Tree Width: 20-30 feet wide
Tree Growing Zones: Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, and Zone 8
The Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is a large-sized ancient coniferous deciduous tree. It has a clean pyramidal shape in youth and matures into a more rounded crown with a strong central leader. Its branches are covered with bright green, feather, almost needle-looking leaves that turn either orange-brown or red-brown in the fall. Produces small, round cones. It is a very fast-growing tree that can be easily transplanted.
The Dawn Redwood was thought to be extinct until the 1940s when a population was found in remote China. Seeds were then brought to the United States to be established. This is an ancient tree that lived with the dinosaurs and was originally discovered as a fossil, not a living tree.
It is a great choice as a specimen plant in large areas like parks, golf courses, and large commercial grounds. It is resistant to urban pollution and can also be used as a street tree if there is enough room (depth) for its roots to grow. This tree does not tolerate early freezes well as it grows until later in the season. It prefers full sun and deep, moist, well-drained soils.
