Plein Air Season: Opening Day

Dawn Redwood Tree at Morris Arboretum

Even more interesting than the trunk of this tree, called a Dawn Redwood or Metasequoia, is its history.

I suppose it could even be considered native to Pennsylvania since fossils prove it once thrived here on the continent of North America back in the Miocene Era. (Yep, that's over 5 million years ago when global temperatures were a lot warmer than they are today.)  However, this tree's seed comes from China.

In 1947, a Harvard scholar brought to the U. S. and Europe about 4 pounds of seeds from a single tree, called "Shui-sa" or Water Fir, that was discovered in south western China. When discovered, this tree was already revered by the local rural population with a shrine and botanists dubbed it a "living fossil" since the tree was believed to be long extinct. 

This tree that I painted today at Morris Arboretum was planted in 1948. It's about to turn 70 and I am pretty sure that its seed was among that first batch that came to the United States and was distributed to arboretums and other institutions. It made lovely shade to sit in as I worked.