Sequoiadendron giganteum · Cupressaceae (cypress family)
No tree is bigger than the giant sequoia. Its massive trunk can weigh more than a thousand tonnes, and some living trees were already old when the Roman Empire began.
Quick facts
| Scientific name | Sequoiadendron giganteum |
| Family | Cupressaceae (cypress family) |
| Native range | Western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, California, USA |
| Habitat | Mountain groves at 1,400–2,000 m elevation |
| Typical height | 50–85 m |
| Lifespan | Over 3,000 years |
| IUCN status | Endangered (EN) |
Overview
Giant sequoias grow naturally in only about 70 scattered groves in California’s Sierra Nevada. The most famous, General Sherman in Sequoia National Park, is the largest single-stem tree known, with a trunk volume of roughly 1,500 cubic metres.
How to identify it
The bark is spongy, cinnamon-red and up to 60 cm thick. Leaves are small, awl-shaped scales that wrap the twigs. Cones are egg-shaped, 5–7 cm long, and can stay green on the tree for 20 years.
Ecology
Giant sequoias depend on fire. Low-intensity fires clear competing plants, open the cones and expose bare mineral soil where seedlings can sprout. Without fire, young sequoias struggle to establish.
Conservation
Recent extreme wildfires, made worse by drought and a long history of fire suppression, killed a significant share of large sequoias between 2020 and 2021. The species is listed as Endangered, and many groves are protected in national parks and Giant Sequoia National Monument.
