Giant Sequioa - Giant Redwood

Giant Sequioa Information - Sequioadendron Giganticum

Giant Sequioa, Sequioadendron Giganticum commonly known as Giant Redwood have the overall record of the largest living thing on earth by volume with an individual tree called General Sherman. This tree is in the Sequioa National Park, California and is 311ft - 95m tall with a diameter of 58ft - 17.6m and weighs 1,200 tonnes.

Trees have been around for 370 million years and will be around for a long time to come. Today, Sequioa stand as high as 368ft - 112.2m and are the biggest living things on earth. This record goes to a Coastal Redwood, otherwise known as Sequioa Sempervirens and commonly referred to as "Tall Tree".

William Lobb (1809-64) from Cornwall in the UK discovered the Giant Sequioa in 1852 during a trip to North America. At Christmas 1853, the tree was named 'Wellingtonia' to honour the Duke of Wellington following his death. The tree was an  instant hit with the Victorians and many of the great country estates in the UK grew them. Although Britain has a good climate for the Giant Sequioa, there are no records there. 

Some Giant Sequioa, Giant Redwoods, are known to be up to 3,500 years old. They are not fussy about the soil they grow in, where they grow or what exposure they get provided they receive sufficient moisture and are not in too much shade. 

Giant Sequioa Identification –  

The top of the tree, its crown is conical shaped when younger but broadening as it gets older. The leave or needles are 1/3 inch - 8mm long, pointed, sharp and with spreading tips. Initially they are dull grey-green and coated with stomata (plant pores used for gas exchange). The needles change to a dark shiny green after three years. Crushing the foliage give the scent if aniseed. Male flowers are sort of yellowy-white and are at the ends of small shoots and produce pollen in early spring. Female flowers are green and grow into clusters of green ovoid (egg shape) cones that ripen in their second year and turn brown. 

Giant Sequioa Distribution - USA in 72 groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California. 

Giant Sequioa - Giant Redwood

Giant Sequioa Information - Sequioadendron Giganticum

Giant Sequioa - Giant Redwood