Dawn Redwood

Metasequoia glyptostroboides

One of the Fastest Growing Trees Available
Grows Up to 4 Feet per Year
Easily transplanted
Fine and Feathery Leaves
Grows to 70' to 100' with 25' spread
Zones 5 to 8
Can't Ship To: AK, AZ, HI

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Zones 5 - 8

Hardiness Zones: Zones 5 - 8
The Dawn Redwood can be expected to grow in the zones shown in color in the arborday.org zone map.VIEW MAP

shade tree

Type of tree:
The Dawn Redwood falls into the following type(s): Shade Trees

70' - 100' High

Mature Height:
The Dawn Redwood grows to be 70' - 100' feet in height.

25' Spread

Mature Spread:
The Dawn Redwood has a spread of about 25' at full maturity.

Fast Growth

Growth Rate:
This tree grows at a fast growth rate. [More about this.]

Full Sun

Sun:
This redwood does well in full sun.

Various Soils

Soil:
The Dawn Redwood grows in acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, well drained, wet, clay soils.

Pyramidal Shape

Shape:
This redwood has pyramidal shape.

More Info

Attributes:
The Dawn Redwood tree is a beautiful tree in parks, golf courses and other sites large enough to accommodate its size. On good sites, it's growth is rapid, with one tree in Virginia having reached 120 feet in 30 years! It is relatively care-free and is a tough and beautiful specimen tree in any large landscape, and always a conversation piece thanks to its history.

Wildlife Value:
The Dawn Redwood provides winter cover for birds, small mammals and deer.

History/Lore/Use:
The Dawn Redwood is a living testimony to the surprises still to be found in nature. When dinosaurs roamed the earth, it is believed that trees in the Redwood family were very abundant. Today, only 9 genera and 15 species exist. Dawn Redwood was one of those known only as a fossil until 1948 when it was discovered growing in a remote valley of the Szechwan province in China. Seeds were shipped to the Arnold Arboretum and the species has been disseminated worldwide.

Moisture:
This Redwood can withstand some flooding and prefers moist soil conditions, but has some drought tolerance.

Leaves:
Fine and feathery in appearance, opposite in arrangement, flattened and about 1/2 inch long and 1/16 inch wide. Bright green above with a narrowly grooved mid vein. Easily confused with a Bald Cypress, but look on the latter for the leaves to be spirally arranged on the branchlets.

Flower Color:
Not showy, male flowers up to 12 inches long.

Bloom Time:
April to May.

Fruit Description:
The fruit is elongated, round 1/2 inch to 1 inch, and brown. Cones hang down on long stalks.

An ancient tree that knew the dinosaurs, but is well-suited to modern landscape plantings. Likes full sun, is easily transplanted. Deciduous. Prefers moist, deep, well-drained soils. Fast growing. Grows to 70' to 100', 25' spread. (zones 5-8)

		Spring Shipping		Fall Shipping
Color	Zone	Approximate Ship Dates	Order Deadline	Approximate Ship Dates	Order Deadline
	2	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	3	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	4	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	5	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	6	03/19–05/12	05/07	11/01–12/03	11/19
	7	03/11–05/07	04/30	11/05–12/10	11/26
	8	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26
	9	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26
	10	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26

We're sorry, but this tree can't be shipped to AK, AZ, HI , territories, or countries outside the U.S. This is due to the agricultural laws within these locations.

When you order trees from The Arbor Day Foundation, your order is guaranteed to arrive in a good, healthy condition or we'll replace them at no charge. Your trees will be shipped at a suitable time for planting.

Each tree is guaranteed to grow, or we'll replace it at one half the original price, plus shipping and handling.

The benefits of bare-root trees

Our trees are delivered with natural bare roots which have been dipped in hydrating gel prior to shipment to keep the roots moist and healthy. As their abundant, fibrous roots aren't confined by a container, bare-root trees get off to a more vigorous start compared to containerized roots which typically need more time to adjust to transplanting. Bare-root trees typically surpass the size of larger containerized trees in only a few years.

	Standard		Dwarf
	Mature Height	Space Needed	Mature Height	Space Needed
Apple	20' - 25'	35' x 35'	10' **	10' x 10' ++
Peach	20'	20' x 20'	8' - 10'	10' x 10'
Sweet Cherry	30'	20' x 25'	12' - 15'	10' x 10'
Sour Cherry	20'	20' x 20'	8'	10' x 10'
Pear	20'	20' x 20'	12' - 15'	12' x 12'
Apricot	20'	20' x 20'
Plum	20'	20' x 20'	8' - 10'	10' x 10'
			** semi-dwarf 12' - 15' ++ semi-dwarf 12' x 12'

Natural Root and Containerized Trees

Natural root (also called bare root) trees are shipped without soil around their roots. They are shipped when dormant in the spring and fall seasons. We dip the roots in a hydrating gel to keep them moist during shipping.

There are a number of advantages to natural root trees:

They are very affordable.
Their roots re-establish themselves well once they are planted in their permanent location.
They are easy to plant at the correct depth.

The Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University has an interesting article about the benefits of planting natural root trees. Look for the PDF entitled Creating the Urban Forest: The Bare Root Method

Potted (also called containerized) trees come in 4" containers.

If you have questions, please call (888) 448-7337 or E-mail Member Services.

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