Culture Arena
China · Nature & Wildlife · Hard
Which endemic Chinese tree, (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), was known only from fossils until 1941 when a living grove was discovered in a remote valley of Hubei province—one of the most significant botanical discoveries of the 20th century?
Answer: Dawn redwood — The dawn redwood (shuishan, 'water fir') is a deciduous conifer—it drops its needles each winter—and the discovery of a 'living fossil' tree previously thought extinct since the Miocene sparked a global propagation effort; it is now a popular ornamental tree worldwide.
- A Giant sequoia
- B Coastal redwood
- C Dawn redwood ✓
- D Japanese cedar
The dawn redwood (shuishan, 'water fir') is a deciduous conifer—it drops its needles each winter—and the discovery of a 'living fossil' tree previously thought extinct since the Miocene sparked a global propagation effort; it is now a popular ornamental tree worldwide.