Sequoiadendron giganteum

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 Sequoiadendron giganteum subsp. var.  Big tree, Giant sequoia, Sierra redwood
File:Sequoiadendron giganteum 08145.JPG
Habit: tree
Height: to
Width: to
150ft 20ft35ft
Height: warning.png"" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. to 150 ft
Width: 20 ft to 35 ft
Lifespan: perennial
Exposure: sun
Hidden fields, interally pass variables to right place
USDA Zones: 7 to 10
Sunset Zones:
Flower features:
Cupressaceae > Sequoiadendron giganteum var. ,

Template:Two other uses


Giant Sequoias are the world's largest trees in terms of total volume (technically, only 7 living Giant Sequoia exceed the 42500 cuft m3 of the Lost Monarch Coast Redwood tree; see Largest trees). They grow to an average height of 50–85 m (165–280 ft) and 6–8 m (18–24 ft) in diameter. Record trees have been measured to be 94.8 m (311 ft) in height and 17 m (57 ft) in diameter.[1] The oldest known Giant Sequoia based on ring count is 3,500 years old. Sequoia bark is fibrous, furrowed, and may be 90 cm (3 ft) thick at the base of the columnar trunk. It provides significant fire protection for the trees. The leaves are evergreen, awl-shaped, 3–6 mm long, and arranged spirally on the shoots. The seed cones are 4–7 cm long and mature in 18–20 months, though they typically remain green and closed for up to 20 years; each cone has 30-50 spirally arranged scales, with several seeds on each scale giving an average of 230 seeds per cone. The seed is dark brown, 4–5 mm long and 1 mm broad, with a 1 mm wide yellow-brown wing along each side. Some seed is shed when the cone scales shrink during hot weather in late summer, but most seeds are liberated when the cone dries from fire heat or is damaged by insects (see Ecology, below).

Giant sequoia cones.



Lower branches die fairly readily from shading, but trees less than 100 years old retain most of their dead branches. Trunks of mature trees in groves are generally free of branches to a height of 20–50 m, but solitary trees will retain low branches.

Giant Sequoia is a very popular ornamental tree in many areas. Sequoiadendron has been successfully planted in the British Isles, parts of continental Europe, as well as in much of the western, southern, and eastern USA. Trees can withstand temperatures of −31 °C (−25 °F) or colder, for short periods of time providing the ground around the roots is insulated with either heavy snow or mulch. Outside its natural range, sequoia's foliage suffers from damaging windburn.




Pests and diseases


Since its discovery a wide range of horticultural varieties have been selected, especially in Europe. There are, amongst others, weeping, variegated, pygmy, blue, grass green, and compact forms.[2]



  1. Template:Harvnb
  2. Overview of the horticultural varieties (cultivars) of the giant sequoia,

External links

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