Sequoia sempervirens

(D. Don) Endlicher

Syn. Conif. 198. 1847.

Common names: Redwood
IllustratedEndemic
Basionym: Taxodium sempervirens D. Don in Lambert, Descr. Pinus 2: 24. 1824
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 2.

Trees to ca. 110 m; trunk to 9 m diam.; crown conic and monopodial when young, narrowed conic in age. Bark reddish-brown, to ca. 35 cm thick, fibrous, ridged and furrowed. Branches downward sweeping to slightly ascending. Leaves 1–30 mm, generally with stomates on both surfaces, the free portion to 30 mm, those on leaders, ascending branchlets, and fertile shoots divergent to strongly appressed, short-lanceolate to deltate, those on horizontally spreading to drooping branchlets mostly linear to linear-lanceolate, divergent and in 2 ranks, with 2 prominent, white abaxial stomatal bands. Pollen cones nearly globose to ovoid, 2–5 mm, borne singly on short terminal or axillary stalks. Seed-cones 1.3–3.5 cm. Seeds flattened, 3–6 mm, leathery. 2n = 66.


Habitat: Coastal redwood forests
Elevation: generally below 300 m, occasionally to 1000 m

Discussion

Redwood is the only naturally occurring hexaploid conifer. It is one of only a few vegetatively reproducing conifers (from stump sprouts) and possibly the tallest tree species known. Winter buds, though small, are evident.

Redwood, including Sequoia sempervirens and Sequoiadendron giganteum, is the state tree of California.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thick" is not a number.

... more about "Sequoia sempervirens"
Frank D. Watson +
(D. Don) Endlicher +
long-lived +
reddish-brown +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (35 cm350 mm <br />0.35 m <br />) +
Taxodium sempervirens +
ascending;downward +
sweeping +
inconspicuous +  and undifferentiated +
Redwood +
1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
conic +  and narrowed +
Calif. +  and Oreg. +
generally below 300 m, occasionally to 1000 m +
Coastal redwood forests +
decurrent +  and scale-like +
petioled +, sessile +, twisted +  and simple +
divergent +  and alternate +
persisting +
spreading +  and appressed +
3 (?) +  and 5 (?) +
flattened +, linear-lanceolate +  and deltate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
nearly globose;ovoid +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
Syn. Conif. +
fibrous;woody +
peltate +  and complex +
cuneate +  and oblong +
fleshy +  and woody +
overlapping +
persistent +
1 +  and 2 +
oblong;globose +
2 +  and 7 +
flattened +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
leathery +
short-lanceolate;deltate +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
Sequoia sempervirens +
species +
flattened +, angled +  and terete +
asymmetric +  and symmetric +