Pollination Feb-Mar, before leaves, seed maturity Oct-Nov (China) seed cones maturing within one year. ( Fu, Yu & Mill 1999 Debreczy & Rácz 2011 Farjon 2005). Seed cones terminal on leafy shoots 2–4(–8) cm long, purplish black when young, oblong-ellipsoid to 9 × 5.5 mm at pollination subglobose to 1.4–2.5 × 1.6–2.3 cm when mature with 8–12 opposite scale pairs. 4 × 3 mm, lowest minutely ciliate distally, others glabrous. Pollen cones ovoid, 2.5–5.5 × 2–3.8 mm bracts triangular-ovate or obovate, c. Leaves linear with an obtuse apex, 0.8–1.5 cm × 1.2–2 mm on old trees, larger on vigorous young trees, bluish- or greyish- or yellowish-green, turning bronzey yellow or more often orange or rust-red in autumn. Lateral branchlets opposite, deciduous, nodding or pendent, pinkish-green in active growth, soon maturing to bronzey-brown and then brownish-grey, resembling compound leaves, ovate-elliptic in outline 3–7 × 1.5–4 cm. First order branches long, ascending or nearly level, second order brances slender. Crown of young trees conical-pyramidal, broad-conical later. Bark of young trees pale orange-brown, occasionally darker in whole or in sections, irregularly exfoliating in fibrous strips in old trees brownish-grey. Tree to 50 m tall trunk variably flared and fluted at base, to 2.5 m dbh. London's Street Trees: A Field Guide to the Urban Forest Conserving the Dawn Redwood: Ex situ conservation at the Dawes Arboretum THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE “LIVING FOSSIL” METASEQUOIA GLYPTOSTROBOIDES (TAXODIACEAE): A REVIEW (1943–2003) The History of the Discovery and Initial Seed Dissemination of Metasequoia glyptostroboides, a 'Living Fossil' Metasequoia glyptostroboides: Fifty Years of Growth in North America Observations from the United States and Denmark. Metasequoia glyptostroboides – 50 years out of China. Tree of the Year: Taiwania cryptomerioides Metasequoia glyptostroboides, from the website: ‘Threatened Conifers of The World’ A Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys An Ecological Reconnaissance in the Native Home of Metasequoia glyptostroboides Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Conifers: A Comprehensive Guide to Cultivars and Species. The seed cones are ovoid, 7–15 mm long and 6–10 mm diameter, with 6–12 thick scales, brown with a violet-white wax bloom when fresh. The leaves are arranged in decussate pairs, scale-like, 3–10 mm long, glossy green above, and marked with vivid white stomatal bands below they have a distinctive thick, almost fleshy texture. Thujopsis is a medium to large evergreen tree, reaching up to 40 m tall and 1.5 m trunk diameter, with red-brown bark which peels in vertical strips. There are also a few regional variations, with asunaro being called ate ( 貴, 阿天) in Ishikawa, and atebi on Sado island. In Japan, other than being called asunaro, it also goes by the name hiba ( ひば). the tree looks like a smaller version of the common hinoki cypress. It is also called hiba, false arborvitae, or hiba arborvitae.Ī popular allegory for the meaning behind asunaro is asu wa hinoki ni narou ( 明日はヒノキになろう), literally "tomorrow it will become a hinoki cypress", i.e. It is similar to the closely related genus Thuja (arborvitae), differing in the broader, thicker leaves and thick cones. It is endemic to Japan, where it is named asunaro ( あすなろ). Thujopsis ( / θj uː ˈ dʒ ɒ p s ɪ s/) is a genus of conifers in the cypress family ( Cupressaceae), the sole member of which is Thujopsis dolabrata.