水杉：复活的“化石”植物Metasequoia glyptostroboides 메타세쿼이아: 되살아난 ‘화석’ 식물 水杉是我国特有的古老稀有树种，属于杉科水杉属的珍稀孑遗植物，是我国特有植物，国家一级重点保护野生植物。 远在中生代白垩纪，水杉家族成员就已在地球上出现，但在第四纪冰期以后，几乎全部绝灭。20世纪40年代，我国植物学家在湖北、四川交界的谋道溪磨刀溪村发现了幸存的水杉活体。水杉活体的发现打破了水杉灭绝的说法，被称为“20世纪植物学的重大发现”。 Metasequoia glyptostroboides (commonly known as the dawn redwood), an ancient and rare tree species endemic to China, is the sole living species of the genus Metasequoia in the family Cupressaceae. It is a national Class-I key protected wild plant. During the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era, the metasequoia was already flourishing on Earth, but they became nearly extinct after the Quaternary glaciation. In the 1940s, Chinese botanists discovered living specimens of Metasequoia glyptostroboides in Moudao Town, located on the border of Hubei and Sichuan provinces. The discovery of extant material of the “living fossil” Metasequoia glyptostroboides from China was one of the greatest botanical discoveries of the 20th century. 메타세쿼이아는 중국 특유의 오래된 희귀수종으로서 삼나무과 메타세쿼이아속의 희귀고유식물에 속하며 중국 특유의 식물로서 국가1급 중점보호야생식물이다. 멀리 중생대 백악기에 메타세쿼이아 가문의 성원은 이미 지구에 나타났지만 제4기 빙기 이후에는 거의 전부 멸종되었다. 20세기 40년대에 중국 식물학자들은 호북성, 사천성 접경의 모도계마도계촌에서 생존한 메타세쿼이아 생체를 발견하였다. 메타세쿼이아 생체의 발견은 메타세쿼이아 멸종설을 깨고 ‘20세기 식물학의 중대한 발견’으로 불린다.