Zell. (2009). Dawn Redwood Autumn Foliage

The Dawn Redwood originated in the Sichuan-Hubei-Hunan border region, of central China. Since its discovery in 1941, the Dawn Redwood has been propagated all around the world, and currently there are 6 million trees that occupy areas in North America, Asia, and Europe. China is the only place where vast ranges of Dawns can be found, however, almost all naturally occurring Dawns are found in the central valley of the Xiaohe Commune. There are over 5,000 Dawns in this valley, indicating ideal growing conditions. Dawns, however, are very hardy and can withstand cold temperatures as low as -28^oC. They tend to be located along riverbanks in low-standing valleys. They grow best in the lowlands because of the loamy soil, but can be found in higher elevations with proper water supply. Today, this tree is often grouped with the Ginkgo as one of the oldest living fossils. Although it is about half the age of Ginkgos, this tree was a lost species, and was believed to be extinct for almost 60 million years.