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The Chronology of the “Living Fossil” Metasequoia Glyptostroboides (Taxodiaceae): a Review (1943–2003)

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The Chronology of the “Living Fossil” Metasequoia Glyptostroboides (Taxodiaceae): a Review (1943–2003) THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE “LIVING FOSSIL” METASEQUOIA GLYPTOSTROBOIDES (TAXODIACEAE): A REVIEW (1943–2003) JINSHUANG MA1 Abstract. The discovery of extant material of the “living fossil” Metasequoia glyptostroboides from China in the 1940s was one of the greatest botanical discoveries of the 20th century. However, for various reasons, the details about its discovery and introduction worldwide from seeds have varied considerably in accuracy. Furthermore, the details of the current state of this species in China is not well known outside of China because of the language barrier. On the basis of primary documents including letters, manuscripts, and original publica- tions, plus personal experience, the major events, important publications, and main scientists related to this story are recorded chronologically for the first time 60 years after the species’ discovery (1943–2003). Keywords: China, discovery, living fossil, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, conifer, natural history, seeds, U.S.A. The story of the discovery of the “living fos- 1943 sil” Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu & Cheng On 21 July, Chan Wang (Zhan Wang, (dawn redwood, Chinese redwood, or water fir 1911–2000) and his assistant from the National in English, shui shan in Chinese) has been told Bureau of Forest Research, the Ministry of and retold, but not all accounts are identical. Agriculture and Forests at Chongqing (for- Most are not accurate, and some are even merly Chungking), went to Enshi (formerly wrong. In the past four years, while working on Enhsi) to visit the Shennongjia forest area the natural history of Metasequoia, I recon- enroute. They stopped at Wan Xian structed this history using primary materials. Agricultural High School, where C. Wang This chronology is based on a study of more became ill. Lung-Hsing Yang (Long-Xing than 1,000 documents, many of which were Yang, 1913–1999), the school principal and C. examined during personal visits to research Wang’s classmate at Beijing University in the institutions in Chongqing, Nanjing, and 1930s, told C. Wang that a strange tree existed Beijing, China, in August 2002. I also met with in Moudao (formerly Motaochi) and asked him people who knew the original collectors and for its identification. Altering their original researchers, and visited the hometown of plans, C. Wang and his team detoured to Metasequoia in Lichuan, Hubei. However, Moudao for three days and collected a speci- since the tree’s discovery in the 1940s, there men of Metasequoia (C. Wang 118) on 21 July have been great changes in China, resulting in 1943. After returning from their expedition, C. fragmentary, incomplete, and widely scattered Wang identified the specimen as Glyptostrobus original documents and publications. Further, pensilis, a common deciduous conifer of south nearly everyone involved in the discovery of China (Wang, 1948; Shao et al., 2000). this species has passed away. Nevertheless, I have tried to study all available, extant docu- 1945 ments so as to record the major events of the During the summer, Chung-Lun Wu (Zhong- past 60 years (1943–2003) related to this relict Lun Wu, 1913–1995), an assistant teacher from species. the National Central University at Chongqing, visited the herbarium at the National Bureau of 1941 Forest Research. C. Wang gave him one sheet The original publication of Metasequoia of his specimen (C. Wang 118) with two cones. based on fossils was published by Shigero Miki C. L. Wu later presented this specimen to Wan- (1901–1974) of Kyoto University, Japan (Miki, Chun Cheng (Wan-Jun Zheng, 1904–1983), a 1941). dendrology professor at the National Central 1 Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, New York 11225–1099, U.S.A. E-mail: [email protected] Harvard Papers in Botany, Vol. 8, No. 1, 2003, pp. 9–18. © President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2003. 10 HARVARD PAPERS IN BOTANY Vol. 8, No. 1 University, who immediately realized that this Castle, Ireland, to describe this new discovery was not Glyptostrobus but something new (Nelson, 1998; the original copy of this letter (Cheng, 1984; Hu and Cheng, 1948). was not available to the present author, but the Sometime later, W. C. Cheng visited C. contents were related by Dr. Nelson who saw it Wang’s institute to examine the other sheets of in 1985). this number housed there and discussed the Sometime between the last week of April and novelty with C. Wang’s director, An Han (also the first week of May, H. H. Hu matched the known as Zhu-Ping Han, 1886–1961). W. C. specimens collected by C. Wang and C. J. Cheng used a temporary name, Chieniodendron Hsueh with Metasequoia, a fossil genus pub- sinense, for this species (Wang, 1948). (Note: lished by S. Miki in 1941. this name is different from Chieniodendron in On 9 May, H. H. Hu sent this news to Ralph Annonaceae, described by Tsiang and Li Works Chaney (1890–1971) at the University [1964].) of California, Berkeley, and told him a new After the news of the discovery of a new conifer, the living Metasequoia, had been genus had spread to the National Central found in China. H. H. Hu proposed to call the University at Chongqing, Toh Kan (Duo Gan, plant Metasequoia sinica (letter at the Archives 1903–1961), a professor of Forest Management of University of Oregon; cited as AUO below). at the National Central University, told W. C. On 14 May, H. H. Hu sent another letter to R. Cheng that he had seen the tree in the winter of W. Chaney (AUO) and informed him that a 1941 and later collected some material but paper reporting this discovery was sent to The never preserved or identified it (Keng and Bulletin of the Geological Society of China; at Hsueh 1948; Zhang 1981). the same time, he also sent a copy of this man- uscript to R. W. Chaney (Chaney, 1949). The 1946 leaf-bearing specimen examined by H. H. Hu On 20 February, W. C. Cheng sent his gradu- (from W. C. Cheng) appears to have been one ate student, Chi-Ju Hsueh (Ji-Ru Xue, of the duplicate specimens collected by C. 1921–1999), to collect additional material from Wang under the number 118 in 1943, because this tree. C. J. Hsueh followed C. Wang’s direc- C. J. Hsueh’s first collection on 20 February tions (Hsueh, 1985) and went to Moudao, Wan 1946 was without leaves (see type; Hu and Xian, Sichuan (currently administrated by Cheng, 1948), and he had not yet made his sec- Lichuan, Hubei). With C. Wang’s collection in ond collection. hand, as well as C. J. Hsueh’s new collection On 18 May, H. H. Hu’s paper regarding the (C. J. Hsueh 5; Hu and Cheng, 1948), W. C. “living fossil” discovered in China was Cheng was assured that the tree was a new received by The Bulletin of the Geological genus and possibly even a new family. Society of China, and it was published in In the middle of April, W. C. Cheng sent “two December (Hu, 1946). This was the first offi- fragments of flowers and one foliage shoot” of cial printed report about living Metasequoia. his new conifer to Hsen-Hsu Hu (Xian-Su Hu, However, there was no specific name assigned 1894–1968), then director of the Fan Memorial to this species. Institute of Biology at Beijing (formerly Also on 18 May, C. J. Hsueh traveled for a Peiping) for his opinion (Cheng, 1984; Hu and second time to Moudao for further collections Cheng, 1948). Later, Elmer Drew Merrill and returned to Chongqing after 20 May with a (1876–1956) at the Arnold Arboretum of specimen bearing both leaves and young cones Harvard University was informed by W. C. (C. J. Hsueh 51; Hu and Cheng, 1948). Cheng about the discovery of three individual From May to July, the National Central trees (Anonymous, 1948). University at Chongqing moved back to On 20 April, H. H. Hu at Beijing told E. D. Nanjing (formerly Nanking), and during the Merrill that a new genus of Cupressaceae had same period the National Bureau of Forest been discovered and that it was known only Research (founded in 1941 at Chongqing) also from a single gigantic deciduous tree, around moved to Nanjing, with C. Wang’s herbarium Wan Xian in Sichuan (letter at the Botanical collection. Library Archives of Harvard University; cited On 27 November, H. H. Hu from Beijing sent a as BLHU below). letter to R. W. Chaney (AUO) stating that “last On 22 April, H. H. Hu used the name Pingia month in Nanjing I have seen a complete spec- grandis in a letter to the Earl of Rosse at Birr imen of the interesting ‘Metasequoia viva’.” 2003 MA, METASEQUOIA GLYPTOSTROBOIDES (TAXODIACEAE) 11 1947 However, since this was a nomen nudum it is On 1 February, a report citing R. W. Chaney’s invalid. statement about H. H. Hu’s discovery of In June, R. W. Chaney sent $25 to H. H. Hu Metasequoia from China was published in the for seed collection, and in July, E. D. Merrill United States (Anonymous, 1947). This was sent H. H. Hu $250 for the same purpose the first report in a U.S. publication that a liv- (Fulling, 1976). From August to November, ing tree of Metasequoia had been found in with financial support from the United States, China. On 30 April, H. H. Hu sent a letter to R. W. C. Cheng sent his assistant, Ching-Tsan W. Chaney (AUO), along with a reprint of his Hwa (Jing-Can Hua, born in 1921) to collect first paper on Metasequoia. In April, R. W. seeds and investigate the natural area of Chaney published a report that Metasequoia Metasequoia.
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