Discovered Alive: The Story of the Chinese Redwood

Discovered Alive tells the remarkable story of the dawn redwood tree (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). In 1941, a Chinese forester chanced upon an unknown type of conifer growing in central China. A Berkeley paleobotanist traveled with a S.F. Chronicle newspaper reporter to view this living tree, which had been considered extinct for 20 million years. Fifty years after their expedition, the author retraced the steps of these two scientists to the hinterlands of China to learn what had become of the trees that the men had risked so much to see. Along the way, the reader is treated to descriptions of rural China, stories of other venerable trees, extraordinary tales of dedicated Asian plant collectors, and even musings on the serendipity of history itself. Included are 36 photographs and illustrations, a bibliography, and an index.