Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostoboides)
Carrie planted this tree in 1952 after learning of its “rediscovery” in China in 1944. Called a “living fossil,” this ancient species was once believed to have become extinct. In 1948, Harvard University sent an expedition to collect seeds and, soon after, made seedling trees available to the public. Carried paid $14.83 for a sapling and noted in her garden diary that this was the most she ever paid for one plant in the garden! Closely related to the Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) of California, this species is a deciduous conifer, which sheds its needles in autumn. It is known for its beautiful, soft needles and buttressed trunk.
