Metasequoia glptostroboides ‚SCHIRMANN'S NORDLICHT'

There’s a horticultural legend from the mid-1940s that 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, which 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 era in their 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 also those from academic circles who wanted to elevate their own prestige, 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 mistakenly named the plant as 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 academic 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 the plant’s variability, there are quite a few attractive varieties (29 registered to date) suitable even for smaller gardens.

Schirrmann's Nordlicht is another beautiful compact to dwarf cultivar of dawn redwood discovered in Germany at the beginning of the 21st century as a witch's broom on the White Spot variety. Its needles are deciduous, chartreuse in the spring and bright amber, honey, and copper hues in the autumn, which is a typical showcase of all redwoods. Once the needles fall, another beautiful feature becomes visible – the strikingly fibrous texture of the rich mahogany red trunks. The shrub form grows into a broadly pyramidal bush with pronounced tiers. The tree forms are also beautiful; however, thanks to the fact that this is a dwarf cultivar growing only about 10-15 cm per year, it will take more time to develop a tree-like appearance with a strong, central leader. On the other hand, you needn’t worry about placing it even in a small yard, as it won’t overshadow the surrounding greenery.

Dawn redwood is closely related to bald cypress (taxodium distichum) and requires very similar conditions: humus-rich, deep, moist soil, some sources even recommend boggy soil. We have been growing it here in partly water-logged location and it has been doing great. Grow it in full sun only. Pruning is possible in spring in order to maintain smaller size or to achieve a denser habit especially in young trees. But avoid over-pruning – do not prune more than 30% of the canopy to prevent stressing the tree. It is fully hardy to min. -34 °C (USDA zone 4).

Last update 09-01-2010; 21-02-2025