Golden Dawn Redwood Intense, golden yellow, feathery foliage makes this striking, new cultivar easily recognizable. Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Gold Rush’ is deciduous and has the same handsome habit and horizontal branches as the species. Full sun produces best color, though partial shade is recommended in warmer summer climates. Known in Japan as ‘Ogon’, the tree was renamed by. The specific epithet, glyptostroboides, is a reference to the genus Glyptostrobus, the Chinese swamp cypress with which the tree was initially confused. The popular common name of Dawn Redwood, was a suggestion of Chaney. The use of 'dawn' in the name was an. 'Gold Rush' is considered by many to be an improved variety of the M. Glyptostroboides 'Ogon' cultivar. It sports beautiful golden new growth that can fade into green as the temperature increases. It has the same amazing fall color as the species, as well as twisted, red tinted bark. View Available Similar Plants. When seeds of the dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, were brought to America in 1947 by the Arnold Arboretum, just a few years after this tree was first discovered by Chinese botanists, it caused a sensation. Previously it was thought to have become extinct 20 million years ago.

1. Metasequoia Glyptostroboides Gold Rush Pictures
2. Metasequoia Glyptostroboides 'gold Rush' Tree
3. Gold Rush Dawn Redwood Problems
4. Metasequoia Glyptostroboides Gold Rush Pink

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DAWN REDWOOD
Family: Cupressaceae
Pronounced: met-a-see-KWOY-ah glip-toe-stroe-BOY-deez

Quick Jumps

Growing Guide
Rainy Side Notes

GROWING GUIDE

Origin:
Garden.
Plant Group:
Conifers.
Hardiness:
Sunset zones: A3; 3-10.
USDA zones: 5-10.
Mature size:
Height 50+ feet (20+ m) in 20 years, eventually reaching 100 feet.
Width: 15-22 (5-7 m).
Cone attributes:
Pendulous cones 3/4 to 1 1/2-inches long and about 3/4-inch wide.
Needle attributes:
Needles are 1/2-inch long slightly curved, arranged opposite along the stem.
Growth habit:
Pyramidal.
Light:
Full sun.
Soil:
Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil.
Propagation Methods:
Softwood cuttings in summer.
Pests and Diseases:
None in the Pacific Northwest; I have not found any references to the tree having problems here.

Rainy Side Notes

Once thought to be extinct, Dawn redwood was discovered in 1944 in China, soon after million year old fossils from Metasequoias were found in Japan. This tree grew on the North American continent over 15 million years ago. Now, it is once again growing on this continent. Michael Dirr once wrote, 'This tree provides a case history of perhaps how endangered species should be managed. . . propagate and share.'

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Gold Rush' was found as a seedling in Japan and was named 'Golden Ogi', which means the golden mantle. Dutch horticulturalist Peter Zweinburg brought it to Europe and changed the name to 'Gold Rush'.

The name, Metasequoia, comes from the Greek word meta, meaning changed and refers to sequoia, which it is related to.

This is a fast-growing tree, reaching 15-20 feet in ten years, after 20 or more years it will reach 50 feet. After that, it may reach 100 feet. It has not been in cultivation long enough for it to reach its full potential. In the Pacific Northwest, the gold foliage will not burn in full sun, unlike other gold foliage that has this tendency.

I found myself smitten with its fall coloring one day in the nursery. I went home to try to find room for just one more tree in my garden. I could plant it, but eventually it would outgrow the space I have available. Thankfully, my young friend, a beginning gardener who lives next door, bought one and planted it. So now I can enjoy the view of his tree from my back yard. I wonder, is he trying to show me up by planting a living relic in his backyard?

Metasequoia 'Gold Rush' keeps its coloring well into summer. It then turns orange-brown in fall, when it sheds its needles. In spring, the needles return an almost chartreuse yellow color. The bark is interesting on this deciduous tree, with deep fissures, giving it winter interest. It thrives in many kinds of soil. It is, however, important to give it some irrigation during our long summer drought. If you have room to grow this conifer, it will be a stunning addition to your landscape. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go negotiate myself some visiting rights for a tree next door.

Metasequoia Glyptostroboides Gold Rush Pictures

Photographed at Savage Plants in Kingston, Washington.

Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More

Metasequoia Glyptostroboides 'gold Rush' Tree

By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton

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METASEQUOIA GLYPTOSTROBOIDES GOLDRUSH – Golden Dawn Redwood

Characteristics

Goldrush is a golden-yellow leaved cultivar of the Dawn Redwood, discovered in Japan as a seedling. The Dawn Redwood has the familiar conical coniferous shape, with sparse upward sweeping branches giving the tree a narrow form. The leaves which are short, broad needles, could be mistaken for those of the Yew. However, this mistake should only be made in the summer for unlike its redwood cousin, the Sequoia, Metasquoia is a deciduous conifer whose needles turn a reddish-brown before falling off in the autumn. It is not currently known if it will get as large as its parent tree.

In this respect it is also similar to Swamp Cypress (Taxodium distichum) with which it also shares a liking for wet even boggy ground.

Where to grow

Dawn Redwood will grow in most situations, it will grow best in deep loamy moist soils, it does not like dry soils but will cope well with waterlogging even to the extent of growing in standing water.

Gold Rush Dawn Redwood Problems

Did you know?

The Dawn Redwood is in some ways a botanical oddity as it is the only living member of it genus.

The genus Metasequoia was first described as a fossil from the Mesozoic 65 to 200 million years ago, however in 1943 a small stand of an unidentified tree was discovered in China in Lichuan County, Hubei these were not studied further until 1946 and only finally described as a new living species, Metasequia glyptostroboides in 1948.

In 1948 the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University sent an expedition to collect seeds and, soon after, seedling trees were distributed to various universities and arboreta worldwide for growth trials. It is now widespread in parks and gardens throughout the world.

Metasequoia Glyptostroboides Gold Rush Pink