Metasequoia glyptostroboides |
Native Region: Western China
Zone Range: 06-09
Preferred Climate: Temperate
Harvest Date: Tuesday 20 September, 2005
Seed count: 30-40
Description:
This tree, if given bright sun and plenty of moisture, will grow rapidly and can attain heghts in excess of 15m (50ft) in 20 years. The bright green foliage turns golden-orange in the fall, and then drops to expose the red-brown bark of the trunk. May be suitable for Bonsai culture, but little data is currently available.
Notes:
A magnificent specimen tree with an ancient past. Long believed to be extinct, palaeobotanists had assigned the name Taxites based on fossil records, but in the 1940’s several eminent Chinese botanists discovered living specimens in Hubei and Sichuan. They shared seed with the Arnold Arboretum, which in turn has made the trees and seeds available to many gardens and gardeners in the west.
Cultivation:
Seed may require cold stratification for best germination. Grow in damp neutral to acidic soil. This species can tolerate seasonal flooding, and may even be grown in swamps or bogs. For maximum freshness, please keep seed refrigerated in its original packaging until it is time to plant.
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