Genus: Sequoia Species: sempervirens Family: CUPRESSACEAE Common name: Giant Redwood, Coast Redwood Plant type: Evergreen conifer Origin: Western slopes of the coast range of northern California, USA Habit/form: When a living thing is as large as a Giant Redwood tree, you can't help but feel the presence. Sequoia are definitely forest generals as well as forest ancients. Most of us know about Giant Redwood trees. Even if they're not your favourite they're still one of those things you find out about, lol. This video presents a couple of relatively young S. sempervirens trees. The Sequoia are some of the tallest trees in the world, reaching heights over 100m, massive trunks, and the ability to live for thousands of years. Their large size provides them outstanding forest heights and an advantage getting sunlight, better access to water in the atmosphere (mists, fogs, humidity, rain, etc), heights that are less populated by predators and pathogens, and a smaller percentage of crown is lost in fires from below . Young Giant Redwood starts with a conical crown, quite dense; numerous lateral branches throughout the tree, can cover the whole trunk right to the base. The branches can be slightly raised, or weep from length and weight. As the Giant Redwood matures the lower trunk can have considerable height before any branches and foliage begin. Depending on space or groves they may be growing at, some Giant Redwood will have a narrow crown with minimum taper, some will still maintain a conical shape, and others will widen and scatter clumps of their growth. Bark is fibrous, in strips/some bark can have slight twist around trunk, stringy, has fissures/can be deeply furrowed, some layered flaking or lifting of bark pieces/strips, can notice some old branch scars, bark is thick, some outer layers soft, bark spongy, older specimens can develop buttress trunk. Ranging in colours of brown/light brown-copper, grey/light grey, ash, and some red hue, red especially underneath, in the creases, and from being freshly exposed, loaded with tannin. Can handle moisture and wet conditions, deep fertile soil, high rain and humidity; not so interested in first-line salt, ok with depleted and crowded soils or whatever happens to the soil, roots are effective, versatile for its size, somewhat shallow, good resistance to decay, does ok in cold conditions but sometimes less robust in appearance, can be fast growing. Not so interested in hot dry wind. Certainly noble and enduring, the Giant Redwood can reproduce and spread by a few methods such as sexually, sprouting from the root crown or buds below the soil line so that rows of growth develop, can be clonal, dominant epicormic growth, Giant Redwood that fall over can develop new upright leaders, some shoots detach from the tree/root system and start their own or new root system. This means the Giant Redwood can steadily dominate an area, especially over time. Leaves: Leaves can spiral, awl, can be scale-like, or develop into opposite, linear, making-up flattened sprays, twisting at the base ovate, lanceolate, leaves have slightly uneven opposite arrangement, range in size from 5mm to 25mm, about 3mm width, smaller above and on older branches, dark green, discolourous or lighter underneath, can notice a midrib from underneath. Foliage can also be aromatic. Fruit: Conifer, ovoid cone up to 35mm, spirally arranged scales, up to 7 seeds per scale (usually about 3-5), (female cones about 20 flattened scales), both male and female cones can be produced on the same tree (monoecious) at the terminals, coloured fleshy/green, light brown, maturing to dry brown with scales opening. Female cone about 30mm long, globose-ovoid, green ripening to brown.

• published: 12 Jan 2014
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