The University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley (UCBG) not only has the most impressive group of Metasequoias in the west, but has made overall contributions to the history of Metasequoias similar to those of the Arnold Arboretum. The UCBG was established in 1890 by the first chairmen of the Department of Botany at Berkeley, at a location in the middle of campus. Since this time the garden has established itself as one of the best on the west coast. By the 1920s the garden was relocated to a 34 acre tract in Strawberry Canyon above the main campus. The garden currently holds 9,632 species of plants. The best represented families are cacti, lilies, sunflowers, heaths, and orchids. Particularly outstanding collections include manzanitas and California lilacs. The gardens are split by geographical regions, including Asia, Australasia, California, Eastern North America, the Mediterranean, Mexico, the New World Desert, South America, and Southern Africa.

The UCBG is in a well known Mediterranean climate, and is the closest site in my research to the location of the other two members in the Sequoia family, the Coastal Redwood and the Giant Sequoia. It is within a very unique climate on the west coast. The UCBG is within the California coastal chaparral forest shrub ecosystem, which is characterized by hot, dry summers and rainy, mild winters. This coastal ecosystem extends from the Bay Area to San Diego and beyond. To the north is the Sierran steppe mixed and coniferous forest, which is subject to dominant west winds and strong snows in the mountains. It is a more extreme zone that would not really foster Metasequoias. To the east is the California coastal range open woodland, which is again characterized by more extreme conditions and a definite lack of precipitation.

Fascinatingly, the Bay Area is also on the fringes between Hardiness Zones 9 and 10, both of which are tropical zones. This means that the average low temperate is mild, which is a climactic feature that characterizes the entire west coast. For example, Seattle is in the same Hardiness Zone as Southern Georgia and San Francisco is in the same Hardiness Zone as Orlando, Florida. Of course Seattle and San Francisco has much lower average high temperatures than Georgia or Florida. Winds are average and precipitation is below average, although the area does receive large amounts of fog. The dominant soil orders are Alfisols, Mollisols, and Vertisols.

As detailed in the Metasequoia Story, Dr. Ralph Chaney, Chair of the Paleontology Department at Berkeley, is part of the short history of the Metasequoia. Dr. Ralph Chaney was passionately interested in Asiatic botany. When he heard about the discovery of the Metasequoias he immediately contacted Dr. Merrill at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum for samples. He acquired some in 1948 and planted them in California and other locations on the west coast.

Dr. Chaney distributed and planted seeds at the UCBG and on the main Berkeley campus. There are nine trees at the UCBG, all planted in 1949 by Dr. Chaney. They have grown well, forming the best overall collection of trees on the west coast. There are specimens with both great height and base diameters. They average about 80 feet tall with bases around 40 inches in diameter. One specimen is 90 feet tall with a base 52 inches in diameter, perhaps having the largest base for a Metasequoia on the west coast! Another is 116 feet tall with a base 38 inches in diameter, which is the second tallest tree I recorded on the west coast, behind the giant at the Peavy Arboretum. Another four specimens average around 105 feet in height with bases around 38 inches in diameter. It is very significant that Metasequoias can grow so well in this climate. It is not as tropical as most Hardiness Zone 10 areas, and San Francisco is really more of a temperate-Mediterranean climate. While the area does not receive a huge deal of precipitation, it does receive large amounts of fog.



In March of 1948, Chaney went on his famous trip with Dr. Milton Silverman, science writer for the San Francisco Chronicle to "Metasequoia Valley" in China, funded by the Save the Redwoods League. It was a hazardous and difficult trip. They traveled up the Yangtze River, and eventually to Modaoqi in Hubei Province, where the "type tree" was found. This 110 foot tall Metasequoia attracted the attention of Professor T. Kan in 1941 because there was a small tile shrine built around it. The villagers in fact idolized this tree and worshiped it, as it supposedly had been alive for over 1,000 years. They believed that the tree was the home of a god. Chaney and Silverman traveled and examined the type tree, but unfortunately it was too early to collect seed.

They then went south to "Metasequoia Valley" in Shui-sa-pa, where Chinese foresters told them up to 1,000 Metasequoia lived. There is much debate about whether they collected seeds on this trip. According to Metasequoia - Fossil and Living, by Edmund H. Fulling, it seems unlikely that seeds or seedlings were collected in March because that would be too early in the year. There are many conflicting reports about what exactly Dr. Chaney did bring back. Other sources indicate that he was more than a little bit eager to get press on his involvement with Metasequoias. A prime example of this was the fact that he did travel to China with a well known reporter. This reporter, Dr. Silverman, published many reports in the San Francisco Chronicle detailing their intimate travails in the wild Chinese jungle, where they encountered Metasequoias akin to trees in the age of the dinosaurs. It was rather romanticized, which is wonderful for publicity but not really so much for science and historical documentation.

Dr. Chaney made this journey shortly after the revolution in China. It was a dangerous trip. To this day many believe that it was in fact Dr. Chaney himself who discovered Metasequoias! The second claim is that he was the main and initial distributor of Metasequoia seeds across the country. While he did distribute many seeds, he was certainly not the initial distributor. Additionally, the Arnold almost certainly distributed more seeds than any other institution or individual, making them the main distributor. My database lists the Arnold as distributing seeds or seedlings to 22 of the 44 institutions that participated in my study. In comparison, Dr. Chaney or the UCBG was the source for four institutions. These institutions are the Connecticut College Arboretum, the North Carolina Arboretum, the University of Washington Botanic Gardens and his native UCBG. While this data merits no conclusions, it is interesting to consider. I also read that he went on trips sponsored by the Save the Redwoods League and planted seeds from Alaska to Panama. This is a wonderful feat, but it seems unlikely that many of these trees lived in such extreme climates.

This is not to detract from Dr. Chaney's accomplishments. His trip did create an entertaining story, and I encourage you to check out two readings. First, Metasequoia - Fossil and Living, by Edmund H. Fulling, was published in Volume 42 of The Botanical Review in July of 1976. This is by far the most truthful and historical documentation of the early history of the Metasequoia.

Second, Discovered Alive: The Story of the Chinese Redwood, by William Gittlen is an excellent account of Dr. Chaney's story. I have read it and spoken to Mr. Gittlen about his experience.

In any event, Dr. Chaney was a very impassioned individual with a deep respect for nature. He contributed greatly to the history and spread of not only Metasequoia seeds, but of the news and nature of their discovery. Many read the articles written by Dr. Silverman in 1948, and many became instantly fascinated by the story.


The University of California Botanic Gardens at Berkeley

200 Centennial Drive

Berkeley, CA 94720

http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/

ìUCBG Newsletter Summer 1999î


Photos and data courtesy The University of California Botanic Garden at Berkeley, Metasequoia - Fossil and Living, and Discovered Alive

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