Metasequoia

Genus of deciduous trees closely related to the sequoia family Taxodiaceae. Until 1941 it was known only from fossil specimens, but trees discovered that year in Sichuan, China, were identified as the same genus known to the palaeobotanists. The species M. glyptostroboides was once widely distributed, but was almost extinct, and expeditions to Sichuan 1964-67 located only 100 trees. The largest was found to be over 32 m high and about 2.4 m in circumference.