UCMP MYSTERY FOSSIL #25 is . . .

Metasequoia occidentalis
UCMP Mystery Fossil Number 25
UC Berkeley paleobotanist Ralph Chaney had read of the discovery of Metasequoia and, in reexamining fossil Sequoia leaves in 1948, found that they were actually Metasequoia. Chaney coined the common name Dawn Redwood for the only living species, Metasequoia glyptostroboides. The tree has since been propagated around the world. Metasequoia is not like most typical conifers in that it is deciduous. Find out more about Metasequoia and conifers in general in our Virtual Paleobotany Lab pages or see this specimen of occidentalis in our collections database.
 

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