Metasequoia: An Overview of Its Phylogeny, Reproductive Biology, and Ecotypic Variation

(Cryptomeria, Cunninghamia, Glyptostrobus, Metasequoia, Sciadopitys, Sequoia, Sequoiadendron, Taiwania, Taxodium). M. glyptostroboides is similar to Cupressaceae in the opposite arrangement of the vegetative and floral organs, whereas the pollen and wood anatomy of M. glyptostroboides are most similar to members of Taxodiaceae. It was on the basis of these morphological peculiarities that Metasequoia was placed in its own family-Metasequoiaceae (Hu and Cheng 1948). However, this placement was never widely accepted; taxonomists have traditionally classified it within Taxodiaceae. Based on recent phylogenetic studies, many now combine Taxodiaceae with Cupressaceae under the latter name. Initially, many botanists believed Metasequoia to be closely allied with four genera, three of which consist of a single species: Sequoia sempervirens (California redwood, Dawn redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides