a coniferous Chinese tree (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) of the baldcypress family, resembling the redwood of California but having deciduous twigs and needles: it is now propagated in the U.S.
See dawn redwood in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
A cone-bearing Chinese tree (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) related to the redwood, having deciduous, flat, opposite leaves and small, globular cones. It is now commonly cultivated in the United States.