Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Succeeds in most soils and situations[1], even in shallow standing water[2]. It is slow growing in dry soils or shallow chalk but grows rapidly in moist or wet soils[1, 3, 2]. Succeeds in most pH's down to 3.5[4]. Requires a sunny position but likes as much side shelter as possible[4]. A very hardy plant when dormant, tolerating temperatures down to about -30°c[4]. The fresh spring growth, however, is subject to damage by late frosts[1, 4]. It grows best in south-eastern England and poorly in Scotland where it suffers from the lack of summer warmth[5, 4]. Growth can be very rapid when young with annual increases of 1 metre common. However, unless the tree is in a sheltered position and a moist soil the growth rate reduces dramatically once it is 6 metres tall[5]. New growth takes place from May to August[5]. This plant was only known from fossil records until it was discovered growing wild in China in 1941.
Propagation
Seed - sow late winter in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood, late autumn in a frame. Very easy[2]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Metasequoia+glyptostroboides>
Pollinators
Wind
References
- [1]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
- [2]Conifers. — Rushforth. K. · Christopher Helm · 1987 · ISBN 0-7470-2801-X ↩︎Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.
- [3]Hedges and Screens. — Shepherd. F.W. · Royal Horticultural Society. · 1974 · ISBN 0900629649 ↩︎A small but informative booklet giving details of all the hedging plants being grown in the R.H.S. gardens at Wisley in Surrey.
- [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [5]Conifers in the British Isles. — Mitchell. A. F. · HMSO · 1975 · ISBN 0-11-710012-9 ↩︎A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.
- [6]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.