Sequoiadendron giganteum
The "Grizzly Giant" tree in the Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Cupressaceae Genus: Sequoiadendron Species: S. giganteum
Binomial name
Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.) J. Buchholz

Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant Sequoia, Sierra Redwood, Wellingtonia or Big Tree) is the sole species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae, together with Sequoia sempervirens (Coast Redwood) and Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood). ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1568x2896, 1652 KB) Grizzly Giant is one of the main attractions in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park. ... Giant Sequoia in the Mariposa Grove, Yosemite Mariposa Grove is a sequoia grove located near Wawona, California in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park, at 37°31′ N 119°36′ W. It is the largest grove of Giant Sequoias in the park, with several hundred mature examples... Yosemite National Park (pronounced Yo-SEM-it-ee, IPA: ) is a national park located largely in Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties, California, United States. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta—liverworts Anthocerotophyta—hornworts Bryophyta—mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta—rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta—zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta—clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta—trimerophytes Pteridophyta—ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta—seed ferns Pinophyta—conifers Cycadophyta—cycads Ginkgophyta—ginkgo Gnetophyta—gnetae Magnoliophyta—flowering plants... Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the... Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. ... Families Pinaceae, pine family Araucariaceae, araucaria family Podocarpaceae, yellow-wood family Phyllocladaceae Sciadopityaceae, umbrella-pine family Cupressaceae, cypress family Cephalotaxaceae, plum-yew family Taxaceae, yew family The Order Pinales in the Division Pinophyta, Class Pinopsida comprises all the extant conifers. ... Genera Actinostrobus Athrotaxis Austrocedrus Callitris - Cypress-pine Callitropsis - Cypress * (Cupressus) Calocedrus - Incense-cedar Chamaecyparis - Cypress Cryptomeria - Sugi Cunninghamia - Cunninghamia Cupressus - Cypress Diselma - Diselma Fitzroya - Alerce Fokienia - Fujian Cypress Glyptostrobus - Chinese Swamp Cypress Juniperus - Juniper Libocedrus Metasequoia - Dawn Redwood Microbiota - Microbiota Neocallitropsis Papuacedrus * (Libocedrus) Pilgerodendron * (Libocedrus) Platycladus - Chinese Arborvitae Sequoia - Coast... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. ... John Lindley (February 8, 1799 - November 1, 1865) was an English botanist. ... Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... Redwood is a name used for several species of trees with wood with a red or reddish colour; see each species for individual details. ... Genera Actinostrobus Athrotaxis Austrocedrus Callitris - Cypress-pine Callitropsis - Cypress * (Cupressus) Calocedrus - Incense-cedar Chamaecyparis - Cypress Cryptomeria - Sugi Cunninghamia - Cunninghamia Cupressus - Cypress Diselma - Diselma Fitzroya - Alerce Fokienia - Fujian Cypress Glyptostrobus - Chinese Swamp Cypress Juniperus - Juniper Libocedrus Metasequoia - Dawn Redwood Microbiota - Microbiota Neocallitropsis Papuacedrus * (Libocedrus) Pilgerodendron * (Libocedrus) Platycladus - Chinese Arborvitae Sequoia - Coast... Genera Actinostrobus Athrotaxis Austrocedrus Callitris - Cypress-pine Callitropsis - Cypress * (Cupressus) Calocedrus - Incense-cedar Chamaecyparis - Cypress Cryptomeria - Sugi Cunninghamia - Cunninghamia Cupressus - Cypress Diselma - Diselma Fitzroya - Alerce Fokienia - Fujian Cypress Glyptostrobus - Chinese Swamp Cypress Juniperus - Juniper Libocedrus Metasequoia - Dawn Redwood Microbiota - Microbiota Neocallitropsis Papuacedrus * (Libocedrus) Pilgerodendron * (Libocedrus) Platycladus - Chinese Arborvitae Sequoia - Coast... Binomial name Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. ... Binomial name Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu & Cheng Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood) is a fast growing tree in the conifer family Cupressaceae (Taxaceae or Taxodiaceae by others)native to the Sichuan-Hubei region of China. ...

Description

Giant Sequoia is the world's largest tree in terms of total volume. They grow to an average height of 50-85 m (150-280 ft) and 5-7 m (16-23 ft) in diameter. Record trees have been reported to be 93.6 m (307 ft) in height and 8.85 m (29 ft) in diameter. The oldest known Giant Sequoia based on ring count is 3,200 years old. Sequoia bark is fibrous, furrowed, and may be 60 cm (2 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 out from fire heat and/or insect damage (see Ecology, below). The General Sherman, a Giant Sequoia, is generally considered to be the largest (by volume of its trunk) tree in the world The largest organism found on earth can be measured using a variety of methods. ... The volume of a solid object is the three-dimensional concept of how much space it occupies, often quantified numerically. ... The growth rings of an unknown tree species, at Bristol Zoo, England Pinus taeda Cross section showing annual rings, Cheraw, South Carolina Pine stump showing growth rings Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the method of scientific dating based on the analysis of tree-ring growth patterns. ... The leaves of evrgreens have a thick, green outer layer to protect them from low temperatures. ... Mature female European Black Pine cone Male cones of a pine A cone (in formal botanical usage: strobilus, plural strobili) is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta (conifers) that contains the reproductive structures. ... A ripe red jalapeño cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ...

Giant Sequoia cones. See also: Cone compared to Sugar Pine cone, Sugar Pine

Giant Sequoia regenerates by seed. Trees up to about 20 years old may produce stump sprouts subsequent to injury. Giant Sequoia of all ages may sprout from the bole when old branches are lost to fire or breakage, but (unlike Coast Redwood) mature trees do not sprout from cut stumps. Young trees start to bear cones at the age of 12 years. Giant Sequoia cones from the North Calaveras Grove, measured in centimeters. ... Giant Sequoia cones from the North Calaveras Grove, measured in centimeters. ... Image taken in May 2002 by Daniel Mayer. ... Binomial name Pinus lambertiana Douglas The Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana; family Pinaceae) is a species of pine that occurs in the mountains of Oregon and California in the western United States, and Baja California in northwestern Mexico; specifically the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, the Coast Ranges, and the Sierra...

At any given time, a large tree may be expected to have approximately 11,000 cones. The upper part of the crown of any mature Giant Sequoia invariably produces a greater abundance of cones than its lower portions. A mature Giant Sequoia has been estimated to disperse from 300,000-400,000 seeds per year. The winged seeds may be carried up to 180m (600 ft) from the parent tree.

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.

Distribution

General Grant tree, Kings Canyon National Park

The natural distribution of Giant Sequoia is restricted to a limited area of the western Sierra Nevada, California. It occurs in scattered groves, with a total of 65-76 groves (see list of sequoia groves for a full inventory), comprising a total area of only 14,416 ha (144.16 km² or 35,607 acres). Nowhere does it grow in pure stands, although in a few small areas stands do approach a pure condition. The northern two-thirds of its range, from the American River in Placer County southward to the Kings River, has only eight disjunct groves. The remaining southern groves are concentrated between the Kings River and the Deer Creek Grove in southern Tulare County. Groves range in size from 1,240 ha (3,100 acres) with 20,000 mature trees, to small groves with only six living trees. Many are protected in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and Giant Sequoia National Monument. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... General Grant tree from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks The General Grant tree is the largest Giant Sequoia in the Grant Grove section of Kings Canyon National Park. ... This article is about Kings Canyon National Park, USA. For Kings Canyon, Australia, see Kings Canyon (Northern Territory). ... This article is about the mountain range in the Western United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Giant Sequoia in the Mariposa Grove, Yosemite The following is a list of Giant Sequoia groves. ... A hectare (symbol ha) is a unit of area, equal to 10 000 square metres, commonly used for measuring land area. ... The American River, located in the US state of California, has a prominent place in American history for being the site of Sutters Mill, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush. ... Placer County is a county located in California, USAs Sierra Nevada, in the Gold Country. ... The Kings River is a major river of California, USA. It arises in the Sierra Nevada, consisting of three forks. ... Tulare County is a county located in U.S. state of Californias Central Valley, south of Fresno. ... Crescent Meadow in the Giant Forest, called by John Muir the Gem of the Sierras Sequoia National Park is a national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Visalia, California in the United States of America. ... This article is about Kings Canyon National Park, USA. For Kings Canyon, Australia, see Kings Canyon (Northern Territory). ... The Giant Sequoia National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in the southernmost end of the Sierra Nevada in central California. ...

Giant Sequoia is usually found in a humid climate characterized by dry summers and snowy winters. Most Giant Sequoia groves are on granitic-based residual and alluvial soils. The elevation of the Giant Sequoia groves generally ranges from 1,400-2,000 m (4,600-6,600 ft) in the north, and 1,700-2,150 m (5,600-7,000 ft) to the south. Giant Sequoia generally occurs on the south facing side of northern mountains, and on the northern face of more southern slopes. Animation of snowcover changing with the seasons Trees covered with snow Snow covering a leaf. ...

High levels of reproduction are not necessary to maintain the present population levels. Few groves, however, have sufficient young trees to maintain the present density of mature Giant Sequoias for the future. The majority of Giant Sequoias are currently undergoing a gradual decline in density since the European settlement days.

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. Large specimen examples grow in arboretums in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island USA. A large sequoia, planted by horticulturist Claude Heit in the 1960s, is growing in the Finger Lakes region of New York USA. An experimental private planting of young sequoia trees (less than 5 years old in early 2007) exists in Vermont USA. In Washington and Oregon, it is common to find giant sequoias that have been successfully planted in both urban and rural areas. In the Seattle area, large specimens can be seen in Lincoln Park and on the University of Washington campus. Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The Finger Lakes, a major tourist destination in the west-central section of Upstate New York, are actually eleven in number, but only seven of the largest are commonly identified as such. ... NY redirects here. ... Official language(s) None Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Area  Ranked 45th  - Total 9,620 sq mi (24,923 km²)  - Width 80 miles (130 km)  - Length 160 miles (260 km)  - % water 3. ...

Ecology

The Giant Sequoias are having difficulty reproducing in their original habitat (and very rarely reproduce in cultivation) due to the seeds only being able to grow successfully in mineral soils in full sunlight, free from competing vegetation. Although the seeds can germinate in moist needle humus in the spring, these seedlings will die as the duff dries in the summer. They therefore require periodic wildfire to clear competing vegetation and soil humus before successful regeneration can occur. Without fire, shade-loving species will crowd out young sequoia seedlings, and sequoia seeds will not germinate. When full grown, these trees typically require large amounts of water and are therefore often concentrated near streams. Loess field in Germany Surface-water-gley developed in glacial till, Northern Ireland Technically, Soil forms the pedosphere: the interface between the lithosphere (rocky part of the planet) and the biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. ... Humus is a term used to describe two different types of organic material in soil. ... A wildfire, also known as a wildland fire, forest fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, peat fire (gambut in Indonesia), bushfire (in Australasia), or hill fire, is an uncontrolled fire that pops up fire often occurring in wildland areas, but which can also consume houses or agricultural resources. ...

Two Giant Sequoias, Sequoia National Park. Note the large fire scar at the base of the right-hand tree; fires do not kill the trees but do remove competing thin-barked species, and aid Giant Sequoia regeneration.

Fires also bring hot air high into the canopy via convection, which in turn dries and opens the cones. The subsequent release of large quantities of seeds coincides with the optimal post-fire seedbed conditions. Loose ground ash may also act as a cover to protect the fallen seeds from ultraviolet radiation damage. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2272x1704, 2336 KB) Person standing next to two sequoia trees. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2272x1704, 2336 KB) Person standing next to two sequoia trees. ... Crescent Meadow in the Giant Forest, called by John Muir the Gem of the Sierras Sequoia National Park is a national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Visalia, California in the United States of America. ... Convection in the most general terms refers to the internal movement of currents within fluids (i. ...

Due to fire suppression efforts and livestock grazing during the early and mid 20th century, low-intensity fires no longer occurred naturally in many groves, and still do not occur in some groves today. The suppression of fires also led to ground fuel build-up and the dense growth of fire-sensitive White Fir. This increased the risk of more intense fires that can use the firs as ladders to threaten mature Giant Sequoia crowns. Natural fires may also be important in keeping carpenter ants in check. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Binomial name Abies concolor (Gordon) Lindley ex Hildebrand White Fir (Abies concolor) is a fir native to the mountains of western North America, occurring at altitudes of 900-3,400 m. ... Species See text. ...

In 1970 the National Park Service began controlled burns of its groves to correct these problems. Current policies also allow natural fires to burn. One of these untamed burns severely damaged the second-largest tree in the world, the Washington tree, in September 2003, 45 days after the fire started. This damage made it unable to withstand the snowstorm of January 2005, leading to the collapse of over half the trunk. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. ... The Washington Tree is a Giant Sequoia in the Giant Forest grove. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In addition to fire, there are also two animal agents for Giant Sequoia seed release. The more significant of the two is a longhorn beetle (Phymatodes nitidus) that lays eggs on the cones, into which the larvae then bore holes. This cuts the vascular water supply to the cone scales, allowing the cones to dry and open for the seeds to fall. Cones damaged by the beetles during the summer will slowly open over the next several months. Some research indicates that many cones, particularly higher in the crowns, may need to be partially dried by beetle damage before fire can fully open them. The other agent is the Douglas Squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasi) that gnaws on the fleshy green scales of younger cones. The squirrels are active year round, and some seeds are dislodged and dropped as the cone is eaten. “Animalia” redirects here. ... Subfamilies Aseminae Cerambycinae Disteniinae Laminae Lepturinae Necydalinae Paradrinae Prioninae Spondylidinae etc. ... Binomial name Phymatodes nitidus LeConte, 1874 Phymatodes nitidus is a species of longhorn beetle. ... Binomial name Tamiasciurus douglasii (Bachman, 1839) Desolation Wilderness (Sierra Nevada) The Douglas Squirrel, Tamiasciurus douglasii, is a pine squirrel found in the Pacific coastal states and provinces of North America. ...

Discovery and naming

A Giant Sequoia with a car for scale

The Giant Sequoia was well known to Native American tribes living in its area. Native American names for the species include Wawona, Toos-pung-ish and Hea-mi-withic, the latter two in the language of the Tule River Tribe. A Giant Sequoia. ... A Giant Sequoia. ... Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ...

The first reference to the Giant Sequoia by Europeans is in 1833, in the diary of the explorer J. K. Leonard; the reference does not mention any locality, but his route would have taken him through the Calaveras Grove. This discovery was not publicised. The next European to see the species was John M. Wooster, who carved his initials in the bark of the 'Hercules' tree in the Calaveras Grove in 1850; again, this received no publicity. Much more publicity was given to the "discovery" by Augustus T. Dowd of the Calaveras Grove in 1852, and this is commonly, if incorrectly, cited as the species' discovery. The tree found by Dowd, christened the 'Discovery Tree', was felled in 1853. A European is primarily a person who was born into one of the countries within the continent of Europe. ... Year 1833 (MDCCCXXXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Discovery Tree stump Calaveras Big Trees State Park, located 4 miles (6 km) northeast of Arnold, California in the middle altitudes of the Sierra Nevada in Calaveras County, became a State Park in 1931 to preserve the North Calaveras Grove of Giant Sequoias. ... For the game, see: 1850 (board game) Year 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Shortly after their discovery, Giant Sequoias were subject to much exhibitionism.

The first scientific naming of the species was by John Lindley in 1853, who named it Wellingtonia gigantea, without realising this was an invalid name under the botanical code as the name Wellingtonia had already been used earlier for another unrelated plant (Wellingtonia arnottiana in the family Sabiaceae). The name "Wellingtonia" has persisted in England as a common name, though is deprecated as cultural imperialism (R. Ornduff in Aune 1994). The following year, Joseph Decaisne transferred it to the same genus as the Coast Redwood, naming it Sequoia gigantea, but again this name was invalid, having been applied earlier (in 1847, by Endlicher) to the Coast Redwood. The name Washingtonia californica was also applied to it by Winslow in 1854, though this too is invalid, belonging to the palm genus Washingtonia. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1606x2162, 2321 KB) Top: lithograph showing a party of 32 people dancing on the stump of the Discovery Tree, North Calaveras Grove Bottom: 30-foot section of the General Noble Tree, which was displayed at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1606x2162, 2321 KB) Top: lithograph showing a party of 32 people dancing on the stump of the Discovery Tree, North Calaveras Grove Bottom: 30-foot section of the General Noble Tree, which was displayed at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in... John Lindley (February 8, 1799 - November 1, 1865) was an English botanist. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN) is the set of rules that governs plant nomenclature, i. ... Sabiaceae is a family of plants native to East Asia and Melanesia. ... Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, artificially injecting of the culture or language of one nation in another. ... Joseph Decaisne was a French botanist and agronomist, born on March 7, 1807 in Brussels and death in January 1882 in Paris. ... Binomial name Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher (24 June 1804 - 28 March 1849; botanical abbreviation Endl. ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (sometimes known by the names Palmae or Palmaceae, although the latter name is taxonomically invalid. ... Species Washingtonia filifera Washingtonia robusta Washingtonia is a genus of palms, native to the southwestern United States (in southern California, southwest Arizona) and northwest Mexico (in northern Baja California and Sonora). ...

In 1907 it was placed by Carl Ernst Otto Kuntze in the otherwise fossil genus Steinhauera, but doubt as to whether the Giant Sequoia is related to the fossil originally so named makes this name invalid. 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Otto Carl Ernst Kuntze (* June 23, 1843 in Leipzig; † 1907 in San Remo) was a German botanist. ... FOSSIL is a standard for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under DOS. FOSSIL is an acronym for Fido Opus Seadog Standard Interface Layer. ...

The nomenclatural oversights were finally corrected in 1939 by J. Buchholz, who also pointed out that the Giant Sequoia is distinct from the Coast Redwood at the genus level and coined the name Sequoiadendron giganteum for it. Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

John Muir wrote of the species in about 1870: John Muir appears on the California quarter John Muir (April 21, 1838 – December 24, 1914) was one of the first modern preservationists. ...

Do behold the King Sequoia! Behold! Behold! seems all I can say. Some time ago I left all for Sequoia and have been and am at his feet, fasting and praying for light, for is he not the greatest light in the woods, in the world? Where are such columns of sunshine, tangible, accessible, terrestrialized?

List of the ten largest Giant Sequoias

"The House" group is a very dense group of Giant Sequoias in the Giant Forest in the Sequoia National Park in California.

As of February 2005, the ten largest trees by volume are: Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 693 KB) The House Group, group of monumental Sequoias in the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park California. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 693 KB) The House Group, group of monumental Sequoias in the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park California. ... The House The House or The House Group is a group of monumental Giant Sequoias in the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park in California, United States. ... February 2005 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → Pope John Paul II is taken to a hospital suffering from a serious case of influenza. ...

Source: United States National Park Service - [1]. Note that the volume figures have a low degree of accuracy, due to difficulties in measurement; stem diameter measurements are taken at a few set heights up the trunk, and assume that the trunk is circular in cross-section, and that taper between measurement points is even. The volume measurements also do not take cavities into account. The measurements are however trunk-only, and do not include the volume of wood in the branches or roots. General Sherman tree from Sequoia National Park General Sherman is the name of a Giant Sequoia. ... General Grant tree from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks The General Grant tree is the largest Giant Sequoia in the Grant Grove section of Kings Canyon National Park. ... The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. ...

The General Sherman tree is estimated to weigh about 2100 tonnes (Fry & White 1938). A tonne or metric ton (symbol t), sometimes referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. ...

Uses

Giant Sequoia in the Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park

Wood from mature Giant Sequoias is highly resistant to decay, but is fibrous and brittle, making it generally unsuitable for construction. From the 1880s through the 1920s logging took place in many groves in spite of marginal commercial returns. Due to their weight and brittleness trees would often shatter when they hit the ground, wasting much of the wood. Loggers attempted to cushion the impact by digging trenches and filling them with branches. Still, it is estimated that as little as 50 percent of the timber made it from groves to the mill. The wood was used mainly for shingles and fence posts, or even for matchsticks. Giant Sequoia, Mariposa Grove, 9-1992 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Giant Sequoia, Mariposa Grove, 9-1992 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Yosemite National Park (pronounced Yo-SEM-it-ee, IPA: ) is a national park located largely in Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties, California, United States. ... Trunks A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is a solid material derived from woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. ... // Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... The 1920s is a decade that is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ...

Pictures of the once majestic trees broken and abandoned in formerly pristine groves, and the thought of the giants put to such modest use, spurred the public outcry that caused most of the groves to be preserved as protected land. The public can visit an example of 1880s clear-cutting at Big Stump Grove near Grant Grove. As late as the 1980s some immature trees were logged in Sequoia National Forest, publicity of which helped lead to the creation of Giant Sequoia National Monument. // Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... Grant Grove is a sequoia grove located in Kings Canyon National Park in the Sierra Nevada in eastern California, at 36°45N 118°58W. It includes General Grant tree, one of the five largest Giant Sequoias in existence. ... This article cites very few or no references or sources. ... Sequoia National Park is a national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Fresno, California. ... The Giant Sequoia National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in the southernmost end of the Sierra Nevada in central California. ...

The wood from immature trees is less brittle, with recent tests on young plantation-grown trees showing it similar to Coast Redwood wood in quality. This is resulting in some interest in cultivating Giant Sequoia as a very high-yielding timber crop tree, both in California and also in parts of western Europe, where it may grow more efficiently than Coast Redwoods. In the northwest United States some entrepreneurs have also begun growing Giant Sequoias for Christmas trees. Besides these attempts at tree farming, the principal economic uses for Giant Sequoia today are tourism and horticulture (see Cultivation, below). // This article is about crop plantations. ... Binomial name Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... A Christmas tree from 1900. ... Tourists on Oahu, Hawaii Tourism is travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes or the provision of services to support this leisure travel. ... Concern has been expressed that this article or section is missing information about: horticulture as used in anthropology, a label for agriculture as used in small-scale societies. ...

Cultivation

Sequoiadendron giganteum at Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, England. Another, at Kenilworth Castle

Giant Sequoia is a very popular ornamental tree in many areas. Areas where it is successfully grown include most of western and southern Europe, the Pacific Northwest of North America north to southwest British Columbia, southeast Australia, New Zealand and central-southern Chile. It is also grown, though less successfully, in parts of eastern North America. Download high resolution version (600x840, 96 KB)Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant Sequoia) at Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, England. ... Download high resolution version (600x840, 96 KB)Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant Sequoia) at Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, England. ... Download high resolution version (700x933, 170 KB)A decorative Sequoiadendron giganteum in the grounds of Kenilworth Castle. ... An ornamental plant is a plant species or cultivar that is grown indoors, or in gardens and parks for its amenity value, or for beauty (in its end use), rather than commercial or other value. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area Ranked 4th - Total 944,735 km...

The limit of winter cold tolerance is generally down to about −30 °C, but with a few individuals known to have tolerated lower temperatures, particularly where they benefit from deep snow cover over the roots. Animation of snowcover changing with the seasons Trees covered with snow Snow covering a leaf. ...

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 ^[1]. This Osteospermum Pink Whirls is a successful cultivar. ...

Europe

It was first brought into cultivation in 1853 by Scotsman John D. Matthew, who collected a small quantity of seed in the Calaveras Grove, arriving with it in Scotland in August 1853 (Mitchell 1996). A much larger shipment of seed collected (also in the Calaveras Grove) by William Lobb, acting for the Veitch Nursery at Budlake near Exeter, arrived in England in December 1853; seed from this batch was widely distributed throughout Europe. 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... “Scot” redirects here. ... Discovery Tree stump Calaveras Big Trees State Park, located 4 miles (6 km) northeast of Arnold, California in the middle altitudes of the Sierra Nevada in Calaveras County, became a State Park in 1931 to preserve the North Calaveras Grove of Giant Sequoias. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II... The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in the southwest of England, also known as the Westcountry. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the Queen England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate 50...

The famous Giant Redwood avenue at Benmore Botanic Garden, planted in 1863, these giants are all over 50 m tall.

Growth in Britain is very fast, with the tallest tree, at Benmore in southwest Scotland, reaching 54 m (177 ft) at age 150 years ^[2], and several others from 50-53 m tall; the stoutest is 3.55 m (11.65 ft) diameter, in Perthshire. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London also contains a large specimen. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Benmore Botanic Garden is a large botanic garden situated between Dunoon and Loch Eck, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. ... Benmore Botanic Garden is a large botanic garden situated between Dunoon and Loch Eck, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. ... The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew are extensive gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond upon Thames and Kew in southwest London. ... Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. ...

Growth rates in some areas are remarkable; one young tree in Italy reached 22 m (72.18 ft) tall and 88 cm (2.89 ft) trunk diameter in 17 years (Mitchell, 1972).

Giant redwoods have also been planted in Belgium and the Netherlands ^[3]. The stoutest one has a diameter of 2.83 m (9.28 ft).

Growth further northeast in Europe is limited by winter cold. In Denmark, where extreme winters can reach −32 °C, the largest tree was 35 m (114.83 ft) tall and 1.7 m (5.58 ft) diameter in 1976 and is bigger today. One in Poland has purportedly survived temperatures down to −37 °C with heavy snow cover.

USA and Canada

The Pennsylvania state champion at the Tyler Arboretum. Planted in 1856, its circumference is 155 inches, height is 95.4 feet, and spread is 36 feet (as of 2006)^[4].

It is very successful in the Pacific Northwest from western Oregon north to southwest British Columbia, with fast growth rates. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2000 × 3008 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2000 × 3008 pixel, file size: 3. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... John J. Tyler Arboretum (263 ha / 650 acres) is a nonprofit arboretum located at 515 Painter Road, Media, Pennsylvania. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Pacific Northwest from space This page is about the region that includes parts of Canada and the United States. ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area Ranked 4th - Total 944,735 km...

In the northeastern USA there has been some limited success in growing the species, but growth is much slower there, and it is prone to Cercospora and Kabatina fungal diseases due to the hot, humid summer climate there. A tree at Blithewold Gardens, in Bristol, Rhode Island is reported to be 27 meters (90 feet) tall, reportedly the tallest in the New England states^[5][6]. The tree at the Tyler Arboretum in Delaware County, Pennsylvania at 29.1 m (95.4 ft) may be the tallest in the northeast^[4]. Specimens also grow in the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts (planted 1972, 18 m tall in 1998), at the Longwood Gardens near Wilmington, Delaware, and in the Finger Lakes region of New York for many years. Private plantings of Giant Sequoias around the Middle Atlantic States are not uncommon. Since 2000, a small amateur experimental planting has been underway in the Lake Champlain valley of Vermont at the Vermont Experimental Cold-Hardy Cactus Garden where winter temperatures can reach −37 °C with variable snowcover. Species 3,000+, see text Cercospora is a genus of ascomycete fungi. ... For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ... Water Garden, Blithewold Mansion. ... Nickname: Motto: Official website: http://www. ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... John J. Tyler Arboretum (263 ha / 650 acres) is a nonprofit arboretum located at 515 Painter Road, Media, Pennsylvania. ... Delaware County (also known colloquially as Delco) is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ... The Arnold Arboretum is one of the worlds finest research arboretums. ... Nickname: Location in Massachusetts, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Suffolk County Government  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D) Area  - City  89. ... One of the premiere botanical gardens in the United States, Longwood Gardens consists of 1,050 acres (4. ... : Chemical Capital of the World , Corporate Capital of the World , Credit Card Capital of the World : A Place to Be Somebody United States Delaware New Castle 17. ... The Finger Lakes, a major tourist destination in the west-central section of Upstate New York, are actually eleven in number, but only seven of the largest are commonly identified as such. ... NY redirects here. ... Landsat photo Lake Champlain (French: lac Champlain) is a large lake in North America, mostly within the borders of the United States (states of Vermont and New York) but partially situated across the US-Canada border in the province of Quebec. ... Official language(s) None Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Area  Ranked 45th  - Total 9,620 sq mi (24,923 km²)  - Width 80 miles (130 km)  - Length 160 miles (260 km)  - % water 3. ... The Vermont Experimental Cold-Hardy Cactus Garden (100 square feet) is a botanical garden for cactus and succulents that are hardy for USDA Zones 4 and 5 of northern New England, upstate New York, and eastern Canada. ...

A cold-tolerant cultivar 'Hazel Smith' selected in about 1960 is proving more successful in the northeastern U.S.A. This clone was the sole survivor of several hundred seedlings grown at a nursery in New Jersey. It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ...

Australia

The Ballarat Botanical Gardens contain a significant collection, many of them about 150 years old. Also Jubilee Park in Daylesford. The Ballarat Botanical Gardens Reserve covers an area of 40 hectares which is divided into 3 distinct zones. ...

See also

• Cryptomeria japonica - Sugi
• Taxodium mucronatum - Montezuma Cypress

Binomial name Cryptomeria japonica (L.f. ... Binomial name Taxodium mucronatum Tenore Taxodium mucronatum, also known as Montezuma Cypress or Ahuehuete (in the Nahuatl language), is a species of Taxodium native to much of Mexico (south to the highlands of southern Mexico), and also southernmost Texas, USA (just entering the state in the lower Rio Grande valley). ...

Notes

References

• Conifer Specialist Group (1998). Sequoiadendron giganteum. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1cd v2.3)
• Aune, P. S., ed. (1994). Proceedings of the Symposium on Giant Sequoias. US Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service (Pacific Southwest Research Station) General Technical Report PSW-GTR-151.
• Fry, W. & White, J.B. (1938). Big Trees. Stanford University Press.
• Mitchell, A. F. (1972). Conifers in the British Isles. Forestry Commission Booklet 33. HMSO.
• Mitchell, A. F. (1996). Alan Mitchell's Trees of Britain. HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-219972-6.
• Thomas, H. H., Shellhammer, H. S., & Stecker, R. E. (1980). Giant sequoia ecology. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Scientific Monograph Series 12. Washington, DC. 182 p.
• Kilgore, B. (1970). Restoring Fire to the Sequoias. National Parks and Conservation Magazine 44 (277): 16-22.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Sequoiadendron giganteum

• ARKive: Sequoiadendron giganteum
• Gymnosperm Database - Sequoiadendron giganteum
• Arboretum de Villardebelle - photos of cones & shoots with phenology notes
• Forest Service database entry on Sequoiadendron giganteum
• Giant Sequoia Fire History in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park (.pdf file!)
• Save-the-Redwoods League
• Overview of the horticultural varieties (cultivars) of the giant redwood