species 41,639 observations

Coast Redwood

Sequoia sempervirens

Field notes

Sequoia sempervirens (), the coast redwood, is the sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family, Cupressaceae. Other common names include coastal redwood and California redwood. It is a coniferous, long-lived, monoecious tree that has reached ages of about 2,000 years. The species has produced the tallest living trees on Earth, reaching up to 116.22 m (381.3 ft) in height (without the roots) and up to 8.9 m (29 ft) in diameter at breast height. These trees are also among the longest-living trees on Earth.

Before commercial logging and clearing began by the 1850s, this massive tree occurred naturally in an estimated 810,000 ha (2,000,000 acres) along much of coastal California (excluding southern California where rainfall is not sufficient) and the southwestern corner of coastal Oregon within the United States. Being the tallest tree species, with a small range and an extremely long lifespan, many redwoods are preserved in various state and national parks; many of the largest specimens have their own official names.

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Supports All

18 native animals
supported in the US

Range

United States

Greener is more native, amber more introduced; paler is less certain. How this was decided

Key traits

Layer
Trees
Water use
Medium
Soil pH
Acid
Deer resistant
Yes
Resists
Wet soil

From NC State Extension, USDA PLANTS and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.