If you are enjoying a festive walk in the Park this December, see if you can spot our tree of the month…as described by Stephen Middleton from the Friends of Alexandra Park…

A tree back from the dead. Our December Tree of the Month was rediscovered in the 1940s in a remote part of central China; previous to this the only clues to its existence were fossil records dating back many millions of years.  The Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is one of three existing related redwood species – the others are the giant redwood (February’s Tree of the Month) and the coastal redwood, both of which are native to California.

Dawn redwoods were thought to be extinct until examples were found in China in the 1940s by local foresters. Botanists identified them as a new species before they were brought to the west by various different routes. The trees were very sought after and were enthusiastically planted as a new exotic tree. 

Our group of three trees stands proudly on the corner of Alexandra Palace Way below the Palm Court near bus stop ‘S’ in an area known as the Western Arboretum where quite a few non-native species can be admired. 

There are several more dawn redwoods in the park, one in The Grove and a few more in the Western Arboretum.

In their native China, these trees can reach over 35 metres in height. Most of the existing wild trees are to be found in Hubei province of central China.

During winter the leaf buds swell and look like catkins before bursting in late winter winter/early spring. The flowers produced are very small and usually missed. The delicate, light green foliage in spring, however, gives the tree a light, airy aspect. 

Cones develop in the summer with “lip” shapes on them like all the redwood species. Autumn brings lovely golden hues before the leaves are dropped. Dawn redwoods have a very recognisable triangular tree shape and in winter the outlines of the trees become very visible and dramatic. At all times of year you can feel the red, stringy bark typical of the redwoods. 

Conifers that lose their leaves in the winter are not so common, but we have two other such types of trees in the park to look out for; a golden larch and a couple of swamp cypresses.

Dawn redwoods are planted almost entirely as ornamental trees for parks and also for streets where its shape, if not its potential size, makes it an attractive option. In China the tree is also used for timber.