Sequoia sempervirens (Lamb. ex D. Don) Endl.

Coast redwood, giant sequoia, giant redwood, California redwood, redwood

Some redwoods

	You are here Sequoia sempervirens	Sequoiadendron giganteum	Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Common Name	coast redwood	giant sequoia	dawn redwood
Plant	Up to 377′ (115 m) tall, living up to 2,200 years. Bark is up to 1′ (30 cm) thick at base.	164–279′ (50–85 m) tall. Bark, up to 3′ (91 cm) thick at the bottom of the tree, is fibrous and furrowed.	Up to 148′ (45 m) high, up to 6½′ (2 m) in diameter. Bark is reddish brown when young, becoming fissured an gray.
Leaves	Needles 1/32–1″ (1–30 mm) long, in a branching configuration or in opposite pairs. Photos of mature sun-illuminated foliage (left) and shade foliage. Photos by Christopher J. Earle.	1/16–3/16″ (3–6 mm) long, arranged in spiral whorls.	Small branchlets 3″ (7.6 cm) long, with needle-like leaves about ⅜″ (1.2 cm) long and 1/16″ (1.6 mm) wide.
Fruit	Oval, ½–1¼″ (1.5–3.2 cm), with 15-25 spirally arranged scales.	Cones are 1½–2½″ (4–7 cm) long.	Pollen cones are ovoid, 1/16–⅛ ⨉ 1/16–⅛″ (2.5–5.5 ⨉ 2–3.8 mm); with bracts that are triangular-ovate or obovate. Seed cones appear at the ends of leafy shoots ¾–1½″ (2–4 cm) long. They are purplish black when young, maturing to roughly spherical and ½–⅞ ⨉ ⅝–⅞″ (1.4–2.5 ⨉ 1.6–2.3 cm).
Range/ Zones			USDA Zones: 4-8
Habitats	California’s North Coast provides the only known suitable habitat. A combination of longitude, climate, and elevation limits the redwoods’ range to a few hundred coastal miles. The cool, moist air created by the Pacific Ocean keeps the trees continually damp, even during summer droughts.	On the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.	Moist valley floors, or in deep ravines and other areas with seepage and hence constant moisture, at elevations of 2461–4921′ (750–1500 m).

Sequoia sempervirens description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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