![]() Linnaeus championed for a binomial (two word) naming system to identify plants. As more and more plants were discovered, Linnaeus realized how impractical this system was becoming. Often their names contained a series of descriptions that may have extended ten words long. Previous to this date, plants were named without any standardized rules. He was the Swedish naturalist who came up with the idea for our modern system of naming plants in 1753. We can blame Carolus Linnaeus for our botanical Latin woes. Knowing the origin of a name and its meaning can help gardeners to relate to botanical names and become more comfortable with using them. The plant has depressions in its cone that look like it was carved. “Glypto” means “to carve” in Greek and “strobilos” means a cone. “Meta” meaning “with or sharing” and “Sequoia”, the tree to which it is related. For example, the dawn redwood is a magnificent tree with graceful, soft needles but it has a very challenging botanical name of Metasequoia glyptostroboides. Botanical names often add another twist by having Latin, Greek or French word origins. Long convoluted combinations of syllables are hard enough to cope with, but to have to pronounce them also is often asking too much. The names are fine to read and recognize but some of them just defy logical spelling and pronunciation to the English way of thinking. Pronunciation is often a large barrier that must be overcome before gardeners feel comfortable when using botanical names. *Information from Michael A.Will that be cotton-easter or co-ton-ee-as-ter? Native Range: eastern Szechuan and western Hupeh China Lower slightly lighter in color, raised midribīark: reddish brown when young>darker, fissured, and exfoliating with ageĬulture: moist, deep, well-drained soil full sun little to no pruning appears to tolerate very wet sites Leaves: opposite, deciduous, flattened, straight or slightly curved, 1/2", upper bright green, Metasequoia glyptostroboides Bibliography and Other Resources-coming soonįlower: monoecious male flowers are racemes or panicles up to a foot long, female flowers are solitaryįruit: pendulous cones, globose or cylindrical, 3/4 to 1 1/4", 14-28 scales, mature in 5-7 monthsīuds: 1/4" ovoid or ellipsoid, bud scales light reddish or yellowish brown, opposite They are fast-growing, so even though our specimen is small, we might live to see it reach impressive height. It's exciting to have one planted in Maxwell and I hope it does well. Before dropping its leaves, it can have incredible fall color, especially when lit up on a sunny day. See more resources at the bottom of the page.ĭawn Redwood is a massive tree, but it has a soft delicate texture. And don't miss Doug Hank's wonderfully obsessive site about his planting project in North Carolina. Check out the web site for the latest info including annual conference information. A quick overview on Wikipedia can get you started and the compilation of historic and contemporary articles published as "Metasequoia After Fifty Years" by the Arnold Arboretum's Arnoldia in 1998-1999 will give you the best history available. The story of the discovery of a handful of remnant trees in Hubei Province and subsequent explorations is one of the most fascinating tales in modern botany. The literature concerning Metasequoia glyptostroboides is vast and well worth exploring. With the reopening of China to botanists in the late 1970s, new seed sources were available to bring in fresh genetic material. The oldest Metasequoia in the country were all propagated from these seeds. In 1946, the Arnold Arboretum obtained seeds from China and distributed them throughout the country. Its rediscovery in a remote mountainous region of China in the early 1940s rocked the botanical world. Larix decidua (European Larch) | Taxodium distichum (Baldcypress) | Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood)īack to Deciduous Conifer main page Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood)Īn ancient tree dating back over 65 million years that once covered much of North America, the Dawn Redwood was thought to be long extinct.
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