Identification:
Leaves—
very small and short, dark green stubs
Twigs—
very thin and long, delicate and fragile, dark gray color
Fruit—
very fine stubby round chestnut brown colored pines
Bark—
rough texture and dark gray color
Natural History:
Lifespan—
hundreds of years, even at least 400 years old.
General description—
This member of the redwood family is originally from China and it amazingly it has still survived for millions of years since the Tertiary age! Scientists initially thought it went extinct due to finding so many of its fossils in the Northern Hemisphere. In 1944, a Chinese forester found a large redwood in the Sichuan province (which is the exact place where the dawn redwood is from.) These trees have the most colorful leaves out of all their family members; they also have zero leaves in winter and they are the smallest of the three main redwood trees.
Natural distribution and habitat—
Originally from China. (The Chinese refer to this tree as a water fir or water pine since these trees can grow in lower areas near water sources)
Conservation status—
There are still dawn redwoods in China and conservationists are still making efforts to save them. It is endangered because of deforestation.
Uses—
used for wooden constructions and they are usually planted in wide-open spaces.
