The Bearing of the Living Metasequoia on Problems of Tertiary Paleo-Botany

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Abstract
The recent identification of Metasequoia on the basis of association of stalked cones with deciduous leafy shoots from Pliocene deposits in Japan, followed by the discovery of living trees of this genus in central China, led to a reevaluation of fossil conifers. It is concluded that Metasequoia rather than Sequoia was the dominant conifer of the Arcto-Tertiary flora. Occurrence of Metasequoia at high latitudes in the Eocene and at middle latitudes later provides evidence for southward migration. Survival of a sp. which is modified in no essential way, and the association of this sp. with many of the hardwood genera recorded with it in the fossil records, provide a basis for reconstructing the climate of the Arcto-Tertiary flora. A humid climate with moderate temps. not regularly falling below zero is indicated.

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