Sequoia

:For other uses, see Sequoia (disambiguation).

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Sequoia is a genus of a single species Sequoia sempervirens, in the cypress family Cupressaceae. It is probably named after the Cherokee Indian leader, Sequoyah, though this is uncertain. Common names include Coast Redwood and California Redwood. It is an evergreen, long-lived, monoecious tree living for up to 2,000 years, and is the tallest tree in the world, reaching up to 112 m in height, and 7 m diameter at the base.

Related Topics:
Cupressaceae - Cherokee - Indian - Sequoyah - Evergreen - Monoecious - Tree

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The name Sequoia is also used as a general term for the subfamily Sequoioideae in which this genus is classified together with Sequoiadendron (Giant Sequoia) and Metasequoia (Dawn Redwood).

Related Topics:
Sequoioideae - Sequoiadendron - Metasequoia

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The crown is conical, with horizontal to slightly drooping branches. The bark is very thick, soft and a bright red-brown when freshly exposed (whence the name 'redwood'), weathering darker. The leaves are variable, being 15-25 mm long and flat on young trees and shaded shoots in the lower crown of old trees, and scale-like, 5-10 mm long on shoots in full sun in the upper crown of older trees; there is a full range of transition between the two extremes. They are dark green above, and with two blue-white stomatal bands below. Leaf arrangement is spiral, but the larger shade leaves are twisted at the base to lie in a flat plane for maximum light capture. The cones are ovoid, 15-32 mm long, with 15-25 spirally arranged scales; they mature about 8-9 months after pollination in late winter. Each cone scale bears 3-7 seeds, each seed 3-4 mm long and 0.5 mm broad, with two wings 1 mm wide. The seeds are released when the cone scales dry out and open at maturity.

Related Topics:
Bark - Leaves - Stomata - Cones - Pollination - Seed

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The oldest known Coast Redwood is about 2200 years old; many others in the wild exceed 600 years of age. It is one of three species of trees known as redwoods.

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