TIL that I’d been mistakenly calling all Redwood trees Metasequioa. In fact, the only one with this name is Metasquioa glyptostroboides, the Dawn Redwood, which originates from an area of southeastern China.
Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia) and Sequoia sempervirens (coast redwood) come from the US. These are evergreens, whereas Metasequioa is one of the rarer deciduous conifers.
Metasequioa/Sequoia etc dates as far back as the upper Cretaceous 100 – 66 million years ago), making them “living fossils”. Metasequoia was found in North America and Eurasia, but by c. 10,000 years ago, became restricted to China.
Sharing as I figure I’m not the only one to have made this mistake.
Oh, and extra note: the red colour of the bark is indicative of a high level of tannins which help the trees resist pathogens such as fungi and insects. Which helped redwoods be a long lasting wood to use for building etc.
*Am reading: Rooted in Time: Living Fossils and Other Tenacious Plants, by Carole T. Gee, 2024.
