Definition

1. Noun:
   • A large, fast-growing, monoecious tree (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) native to China, characterized by flat, bright-green, deciduous leaves that turn reddish-brown in autumn and small, globular cones. It is often cultivated as an ornamental tree in regions like the United States. Notably, this species was known from fossil records before being discovered alive in China.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The dawn redwood in the arboretum has grown remarkably tall in just a few decades.
  • Botanists were thrilled to find living dawn redwoods, a species they had only studied as fossils.

Advanced Usage

• As a "living fossil": The term "dawn redwood" is frequently used in paleobotany and horticulture to emphasize its status as a tree known from fossils before its discovery as a living species.
  • The dawn redwood is a classic example of a living fossil, bridging the prehistoric and modern worlds.

Variants and Related Words

• Metasequoia: The scientific genus name for the dawn redwood.
  • The genus Metasequoia contains only one living species.
• Redwood: A common name for trees in the genera and (coast redwood), which are related but distinct from the dawn redwood.
  • While both are conifers, the coast redwood and the dawn redwood belong to different genera.

Synonyms

• Metasequoia glyptostroboides: The full scientific name.
• Water fir: A less common common name, referring to its preference for moist habitats.

Related Phrases

• Living fossil: A common descriptive phrase associated with the dawn redwood due to its paleontological history.
  • The dawn redwood is often described as a living fossil.

Noun

1. large fast-growing Chinese monoecious tree having flat bright-green deciduous leaves and small globular cones; commonly cultivated in United States as an ornamental; known as a fossil before being discovered in China