Metasequoia, commonly called Dawn Redwood, is a genus of redwood tree. This specimen is from Beaver Head Co. Montana.
Metasequoia fossils have been found in several locations throughout the Northern Hemisphere and were first thought to be from an extinct tree until the 1940's when living Metasequoia trees were discovered in China. Seeds from these trees have now been planted in many locations throughout the world. Metasequoia are unique among redwoods since they are deciduous and lose their leaves in the fall rather than being evergreen. They lived from the Oligocene into the Miocene Epoch 34 to 5 million years ago.
