Side by side
Giant redwood or dawn redwood? How to tell them apart
Sequoiadendron giganteum · Metasequoia glyptostroboides
How to tell them apart – giant redwood: huge, conical conifer with short, awl-shaped scale needles and thick, soft, reddish-brown bark; dawn redwood: soft, flat needles that drop in autumn.
How do you recognise them?
- Giant redwood
- Huge, conical conifer with short, awl-shaped scale needles and thick, soft, reddish-brown bark.
- Dawn redwood
- Soft needles in two rows that fall in autumn together with the side shoots; everything is opposite.
- Compared with giant redwood: soft, flat needles that drop in autumn.
| Giant redwood | Dawn redwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Needles | Scale-like needles 4–10 mm long, sharp and awl-shaped, spiralled around round, cord-like shoots; blue-green, with an aniseed scent when crushed. | Needles 1–3 cm, flat, soft and light green, opposite in two rows on short side shoots. Russet-brown in autumn. |
| Flowering | – | – |
| Cones and seeds | Egg-shaped cones of 5–8 cm with shield-shaped scales. | Round cones 1.5–2.5 cm on a long stalk. |
| Bark | Reddish-brown, fibrous and spongy, tens of centimetres thick on old trees: you can safely give it a punch. | Orange- to red-brown, fibrous; the trunk has deep flutes and ‘armpits’ beneath the branches. |
| Shape and height | Conifer, 30–50 m | Conifer, 20–35 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, normal | Full sun, any garden soil, moist to wet |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for birds | Little |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | June–August | November–March |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Giant redwood (30–50 m) and dawn redwood (20–35 m) both grow into large trees: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
- Plant profile: Giant redwood
- Plant profile: Dawn redwood
- Giant redwood: when and how to prune
- Dawn redwood: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them
Also looks like
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.