Dawn Redwood

ancient trees · endangered · China · conifers

Living fossil tree. The dawn redwood was thought to be extinct until scientists found it still growing in remote valleys in China in 1944. It's the only living species in its whole genus, making it extra special and rare.

Grows incredibly fast. Dawn redwoods are champion growers, adding lots of height and width each year. They can reach 167 feet tall, making them tower over most other trees in their ecosystem.

Loses its needles. Unlike most conifers (evergreens), the dawn redwood is deciduous, meaning it drops all its needle-like leaves every autumn and grows new ones in spring. This makes it look dead in winter, but it's just sleeping.

Loves wet places. Dawn redwoods grow naturally only in foggy, misty valleys near rivers and streams in south-central China where it's wet and humid. They need that moisture to thrive.

Endangered and protected. There are only a few thousand dawn redwoods left in the wild, so scientists and Chinese officials work hard to protect them. Many gardens around the world now grow them to help keep the species alive.