The dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, was thought extinct until living trees were discovered in China in 1941.
Scientists had known the genus Metasequoia from fossil leaves and cones before living specimens were identified. In the early 1940s, trees growing in Hubei province were recognized as belonging to this supposedly extinct group. The species was formally described in 1948, and seeds were later distributed internationally, helping make dawn redwood a popular ornamental tree.
Unlike evergreen coast redwoods and giant sequoias, dawn redwoods are deciduous conifers: their soft, feathery needles turn reddish-brown and fall in autumn. The species is native to a restricted area of central China, especially parts of Hubei, Hunan and Sichuan.
The name can cause confusion because “redwood” is also used for California trees. Dawn redwood is the sole living species in its genus, Metasequoia, whereas coast redwood belongs to Sequoia and giant sequoia belongs to Sequoiadendron.