Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'MATTHAEI BROOM' ('Head Hunter')
Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'MATTHAEI BROOM' ('Head Hunter')
dawn redwood
dawn redwood
SIZE/TYPE | medium-sized shrub |
---|---|
USUAL HEIGHT | 1-3m |
USUAL WIDTH | 1-2m |
LEAVES | deciduous conifer |
COLOUR OF LEAVES | light green |
FLOWERS | insignificant or non-blooming |
LOCATION | full sun |
SOIL MOISTURE REQUIREMENTS | tolerates (but does not demand) wet ground |
USDA zone (lowest) | 5 (down to -29°C) |
WINTER PROTECTION | |
FOR ZONE 5+6 | |
FOR ZONE 7 | |
BELONGS TO CATEGORIES | Conifers |
There’s a horticultural legend from mid-1940’s which goes something like this: For centuries, metasequoia had been believed to be extinct in the wild and buried only in fossils just like trilobites. It wasn't until 1941 that a live specimen was found in China that was immediately subjected to botanical research, enthusiastically propagated, and subsequently introduced to the world as newly resurrected creatures of our prehistorical past. Who wouldn't want a tree from the dinosaur’s era in his own yard! However. I bet you know what it’s like when it comes to legends – every talking head adds something to it. By the year 2000 the story got so muddled, with so many people feasting on it, not only those from the media, but those from academic circles who wanted to elevate their own prestige, too, that botanist Jinshuang Ma of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden decided to trace the true footsteps. In 2002 and consequently in 2003 he published two papers on the subject where he explained the following:
In 1943, the Chinese botanist Zhan Wang collected the first seeds and a few branches from a single specimen he found. Unaware of their importance and of the fact that he had mistaken named the plant for Glyptostrobus pensilis, he sent them to Nanjing University's Professor W.C. Cheng. There they identified his mistake and, amazed by his discovery, in the spring of 1946 they sent one of their students C.T. Hwa to examine the site in the so-called Metasequoia Valley to collect more seeds. Plenty more seeds, I have to say, he collected several kilograms (!) of them and when we consider that he had to walk on foot a large part of the journey, his merits are directly proportional to the weight of his backpack. Upon his return, the seeds were distributed from the university to 76 addresses around the world – from botanical gardens and schools to private collectors. The combination of the plant and its legend kicked off a horticultural sensation and huge media interest and caused a lot of speculations and academical disputes among experts.
The post-war cooling down of relations between communist China and the capitalist West ended almost all exchange for some 30 years, including botanical exchange. Hence no more seeds from China. Luckily many growers in other countries, having had to do with what they had, naturally tried vegetative propagation, too. They were delighted to discover how easily metasequoia was propagated by cuttings, and moreover that it was resistant to almost all diseases and pests. Thanks to them, this tree is now readily available in every good nursery, and, thanks to plant’s variability, there are quite a few attractive varieties (29 registered until today) suitable even for smaller gardens.
Only recently a new variety of dawn redwood was introduced in the USA when a naturally occurring mutation of a witches broom was found in Matthaei Botanical Gardens of Michigan University, USA. It was named Matthaei Broom and as many people could not spell that properly it was re-named to Head Hunter for commercial purposes. It is a fantastic variety combining the beauty of the typically dawn redwood soft green foliage and slower, congested growth which makes it ideal to become a jewel in a small garden, too.
Thanks to its flat, fresh green, deciduous needles it is often mistaken for swamp cypress (taxodium distichum). Young shrubs form somewhat irregular, oval shape, making a central leader later. Far more attractive are stem forms with dense, almost flat umbrella-shaped crown with slightly drooping ends of branches. Autumn colour is orange to golden yellow. Pruning, if desired, can be done at the end of winter.
Being closely related to swamp cypress, it also likes constantly moist soil, some sources even say that the roots can stand in shallow water. We have been growing dawn redwood in partly water-logged location and it is doing fine. Just make sure not to overwater freshly transplanted root-ball. The soil should be humus-rich, acidic to alkaline. Fully hardy to min. -29°C (USDA zone 5).
Last update 09-01-2010
In 1943, the Chinese botanist Zhan Wang collected the first seeds and a few branches from a single specimen he found. Unaware of their importance and of the fact that he had mistaken named the plant for Glyptostrobus pensilis, he sent them to Nanjing University's Professor W.C. Cheng. There they identified his mistake and, amazed by his discovery, in the spring of 1946 they sent one of their students C.T. Hwa to examine the site in the so-called Metasequoia Valley to collect more seeds. Plenty more seeds, I have to say, he collected several kilograms (!) of them and when we consider that he had to walk on foot a large part of the journey, his merits are directly proportional to the weight of his backpack. Upon his return, the seeds were distributed from the university to 76 addresses around the world – from botanical gardens and schools to private collectors. The combination of the plant and its legend kicked off a horticultural sensation and huge media interest and caused a lot of speculations and academical disputes among experts.
The post-war cooling down of relations between communist China and the capitalist West ended almost all exchange for some 30 years, including botanical exchange. Hence no more seeds from China. Luckily many growers in other countries, having had to do with what they had, naturally tried vegetative propagation, too. They were delighted to discover how easily metasequoia was propagated by cuttings, and moreover that it was resistant to almost all diseases and pests. Thanks to them, this tree is now readily available in every good nursery, and, thanks to plant’s variability, there are quite a few attractive varieties (29 registered until today) suitable even for smaller gardens.
Only recently a new variety of dawn redwood was introduced in the USA when a naturally occurring mutation of a witches broom was found in Matthaei Botanical Gardens of Michigan University, USA. It was named Matthaei Broom and as many people could not spell that properly it was re-named to Head Hunter for commercial purposes. It is a fantastic variety combining the beauty of the typically dawn redwood soft green foliage and slower, congested growth which makes it ideal to become a jewel in a small garden, too.
Thanks to its flat, fresh green, deciduous needles it is often mistaken for swamp cypress (taxodium distichum). Young shrubs form somewhat irregular, oval shape, making a central leader later. Far more attractive are stem forms with dense, almost flat umbrella-shaped crown with slightly drooping ends of branches. Autumn colour is orange to golden yellow. Pruning, if desired, can be done at the end of winter.
Being closely related to swamp cypress, it also likes constantly moist soil, some sources even say that the roots can stand in shallow water. We have been growing dawn redwood in partly water-logged location and it is doing fine. Just make sure not to overwater freshly transplanted root-ball. The soil should be humus-rich, acidic to alkaline. Fully hardy to min. -29°C (USDA zone 5).
Last update 09-01-2010
SIZES and PRICES
CURRENTLY SOLD OUT
GLOSSARY
|