Woody > Metasequoia > Metasequoia glyptostroboides > Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Raven'
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
'Raven'
Raven Dawn Redwood
Origin: This cultivar was introduced by Missouri Botanical Garden from seed collected in Modaqai, China, found in the wild in the 1940s. The cultivar's name was to honour Dr. Peter Raven, who was the Director of the Missouri Botanical Gardens and Shaw's Legacy is a registered name that honours Henry Shaw, who was the individual that founded the Missouri Botanical Gardens. (Dirr, 2011)
| Family |
| Cupressaceae |
| Genus |
| Metasequoia |
| Species |
| glyptostroboides |
| Cultivar |
| 'Raven' |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (deciduous) |
| Registered Name |
| Shaw's Legacy® |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 4 - 8 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 5 |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H7 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -23 - (-26) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| -10 - (-20) |
| Height |
| 20 - 30 m |
| Spread |
| 8 - 15 m |
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Raven Dawn Redwood is a deciduous conifer that grows in a conical profile with soft textured, deep green foliage and is a fast grower; it can grow up to 30 m tall. (MBG, n.d) |
| Landscape |
| Superb in large areas and is an excellent specimen or street tree. It can be used in lawns, gardens, parks, campuses, golf courses and commercial grounds. (Dirr, 2009, p. 749) |
| Cultivation |
| It grows best in full sun, moist, humusy, well-drained soils, but can tolerate moist to wet soils. (Dirr, 2009, p. 749) |
| Shape |
| Grows in a conical shape up to 30 m tall. (MBG, n.d) |
| Growth |
| Fast |
| ID Characteristic |
| It is a deciduous conifer that can be identified by its uniform pyramidal growth and low branching habit. This Redwood has deeply furrowed bark, and better resistance to foliar diseases. The needles are opposite on the stems. (MBG, n.d) |
| Pests |
| The tree can suffer from some canker infections. Foliage may be affected by Japanese beetles that will feed on the leaves. Otherwise, no serious pest or disease problems. (Dirr, 2009, p. 749) |
| Habitat |
| Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| The bark is deeply fissured and beautiful with a reddish-brown colour with slightly shedding thin trunk strips. (Dirr, 2009, p. 749) |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Egg-shaped buds that are 3 – 4 mm long, with no resin. The buds are sitting in an opposite arrangement on the reddish-brown stem. |
| Leaf Description |
| The foliage looks like flattened needles and are in a opposite arrangement. They are bright green in the spring then mature into a deeper green in the summer and changes to reddish-bronze in the autumn. (MBG, n.d) |
| Flower Description |
| Monoecious, with male flowers in racemes and panicles up to 4 cm long. (Dirr, 2009, p. 749) |
| Fruit Description |
| Produces oval, light brown cone about 19 mm; Twigs, needles and cone scales are opposite. |
| Colour Description |
| Foliage is a bright green during the spring and deep green in the summer that turns reddish-bronze in the autumn. (MBG, n.d) |
| Texture Description |
| Foliage has delicate and feathery-like foliage that is soft when touched. (Dirr, 2009, p. 749) |
| Notable Specimens |
| Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri. United States of America. (MBG, n.d) |
| Propagation |
| Can be propagated by hardwood cuttings at the start of summer, the size of cutting should be 2.5 m. Sever the cutting at a 45-degree angle 3 mm below the leaf node (Degnan, n.d.). Take off the new growth and plant them in topsoil. They require water every day, or they are going to dry out. You also want to put them somewhere warm (BerringtonGardens 2020). |
References
Dirr, M.D. (2009) Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Stipes Publishing L.L.C.
Dirr, M.D (2011). Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs. Workman Publishing. (p. 510-511)
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