The sequoia tree is a unique representative of the plant world. Sequoia - the largest tree in the world The sequoia tree is unique

Sequoia is a monotypic genus of trees, plants of the Cypress family. The natural range of the genus is the Pacific coast of North America. Individual specimens of sequoia reach a height of more than 110 m - these are the tallest trees on Earth. The maximum diameter of the sequoia trunk is 11.1 m (for a specimen with its own name General Sherman, the maximum age is more than three and a half thousand years.

Sequoia (Sequoia)
Sequoia evergreen

The name of the genus was given in honor of Sequoyah (George Hess) (Sequoyah) - the Indian leader of the Cherokee tribe, the inventor of the Cherokee syllabary, the founder of the newspaper in the Cherokee language.
Distribution area
Trees taller than 60 m are very common, many taller than 90 m.

* The tallest tree is a sequoia discovered in the summer of 2006 by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor in Redwood National Park, the height of Hyperion, as the tree was named, is 115.5 meters (379, 1 foot). The researchers said that the woodpecker's damage to the tree at the top prevented the sequoia from reaching a height of 115.8 meters (380 feet).
* The previous highest growing record was the Stratospheric Giant at Humboldt Redwoods California State Park at 112.83 meters, last measured in 2004 (August 2000-112.34m, 2002-112.56m) .
*Before Hyperion, the tallest tree of all time was the Dyerville Giant, also in Humboldt Redwoods Park, measured after it fell in March 1991 at 113.4 meters, estimated to be 1600 years old.
* Of 15 growing trees over 110 m in height.
* 47 trees over 105 m in height.
* Some claim that the height of the tree cut down in 1912 was 115.8 m.
* The tallest non-red tree is 100.3 m high - Douglas fir.

Botanical description of sequoia.

- an evergreen monoecious tree.
The crown is conical, the branches grow horizontally or with a slight downward slope. The bark is very thick, up to 30 cm thick, and relatively soft, fibrous, red-brown in color immediately after peeling (hence the English name redwood, "mahogany"), darkens with time. The root system consists of shallow, widely spread lateral roots. The leaves are 15-25 mm long, elongated and flat in young trees, with arrowheads in the shady lower canopy of older trees, and scale-like 5-10 mm long in the upper canopy of old trees. Cones are ovoid, 15-32 mm long, with 15-25 spiral scales; pollination at the end of winter, ripening after 8-9 months. Each cone contains 3-7 seeds, each 3-4 mm long and 0.5 mm wide. The seeds are released when the cone dries and opens.

Distribution and ecology of sequoia.

It grows in California along the Pacific coast in a strip about 750 km long and 8 to 75 km wide. Average heights are 30-750 m above sea level, sometimes trees grow near the shore, sometimes they climb to a height of up to 920 m. Sequoia loves the humidity that the sea air brings with it. The tallest and oldest trees grow in gorges and deep ravines, where currents of moist air can reach all year round and where fogs regularly occur. Trees growing above the fog layer (above 700 m) are lower and smaller due to drier, windier and cooler growing conditions. In 2004, the journal Nature wrote that the maximum theoretical height of a sequoia (or any other tree) is limited to 122-130 meters, due to gravity and friction between the water and the pores of the wood through which it oozes.

The largest tree is "Del Norte Titan", its volume is estimated at 1044.7 m³; its height is 93.57 m, and its diameter is 7.22 m. Among the growing trees, only 15 giant sequoias are more massive than it; they are shorter, but they have a thicker trunk. Thus, the volume of the largest giant sequoia General Sherman is 1487 cubic meters.
Classification

The genus Sequoia belongs to the subfamily Sequoioideae of the Cypress family (Cupressaceae), which also includes Sequoiadendron (Sequoiadendron J. Buchholz) and Metasequoia (Metasequoia Miki ex Hu & W.C. Cheng).

Single view:
* Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. - Evergreen Sequoia, or Red Sequoia.
Synonym:
* Taxodium sempervirens D.Don - evergreen taxodium.
scientific classification
Kingdom: Plants
Superdivision: Gymnosperms
Department: Conifers
Class: Conifers
Order: Pine
Family: Cypress
Subfamily: Sequoioideae
Genus: Sequoia
Latin name
Sequoia Endl. (1847), nom. cons.
Kinds
Sequoia evergreen
Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.

Materials used:
Dictionaries and encyclopedias at Academician
http://dic.academic.ru/

On the planet, then the sequoia will certainly receive the palm. It belongs to conifers, sometimes it is also called "mahogany" for the rich color of the trunk. The height of the evergreen sequoia has always been of interest to naturalists, because there are a lot of these trees on the planet, and it was a matter of honor for researchers to find the very best.

Tree Indian?

Although it has been growing on our planet for a long time, it received its name, which we use today, only at the beginning of the 19th century. It is believed that the etymology of this word comes from Sequoyah or Sequoia. That was the name of the Indian leader of the Cherokee tribe, who invented the syllabary for this people.

Be that as it may, today this giant tree causes awe and delight among everyone who saw it live, and the height of the evergreen sequoia is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Along the Pacific coast, in the states of California and Washington, as well as in the south of the Canadian state of the British province, sequoia is most often found, where it grows for many, many years. The researchers found the remains of this tree in ancient rocks that formed during the Jurassic period. And this is neither more nor less than 208 million years BC. It is believed that this tree has come down to us unchanged, just like it was millions of years ago. Therefore, it is referred to as relic rocks.

Unfortunately, only two species have survived to our times - this is an evergreen sequoia and People call them Red and And earlier, as the researchers assure, there were much more species, and they grew all over the globe.

Thick and soft bark

Of course, the height of the evergreen sequoia is of great interest. But it will be no less interesting to learn more about some of the features of this giant. The bark of this tree is very thick, up to 30 centimeters. But despite this, it is quite soft, has a fibrous structure and is relatively easy to separate from the trunk. True, after lying for some time in the air, the bark acquires a brownish tint. It is because of this that the sequoia is also called Although the bark is soft, the trunk itself is very strong and dense.

What is visual? This is a huge wide trunk, a dense crown of a conical shape, and the branches grow either completely horizontally or go down a little, like the paws of a spruce. Beautiful dark green leaves reach a length of 15-25 centimeters.

How does it reproduce?

Sequoia is an evergreen cone which reaches 15-22 centimeters in length, produces fertilized fruits every year. At the end of winter, pollination of seeds occurs, and then they ripen for about 9 months. Each fruit contains 3-7 seeds approximately 3-4 mm in size. As the cone dries out, the scales begin to open and the seeds fall to the ground. If they get into a favorable environment, new trees can grow from them. True, the chance for a new life is very negligible. The thing is that the crown of a large tree covers the sun's rays so tightly that young shoots most often die from a lack of good lighting.

So although this tree has quite a lot of fruits every year, most of them die and do not give offspring. Natural selection.

Excellent wood

112.83 meters

What is the tallest sequoia tree in the world? This question did not give scientists peace of mind for a long time, and after many years of measurements and research, they finally found the largest giant. It turned out to be the Stratospheric Giant, which now grows in the Humboldt Redwoods National Park. This sequoia grew exactly 112 meters 83 centimeters in height. True, the last time it was measured more than ten years ago, in 2004. So it sure has grown.

Prior to this, the limiting height of the evergreen sequoia was in a tree called Giant Dyerville, which also grew in Humboldt Redwoods. In 1991, after bad weather, it fell, and when they measured the distance from the base to the top, the figure turned out to be: 113 meters 40 centimeters. The age of the Giant Dyerville was determined at 1600 years.

But they say that in modern history there was a tree even higher! And they cut it down in 1812. His high-altitude record is 115 meters 80 centimeters. Biologists believe that the maximum growth of the sequoia cannot exceed 130 meters, because the forces of gravity will not allow the juices to rise higher. True, so far no one has found trees of this size.

How many giants are on planet Earth?

And yet, every traveler who has been in the shade of this tree is fascinated by its unusualness and some ancient statics of the evergreen sequoia (height). All travelers love to take photos against the background of these giants. Pictures of tourists are especially popular when they try to grab the trunk of a relic tree as a whole group, but sometimes there are not enough hands. Yes, such a huge growth requires a solid foundation. The trunk in diameter of some trees reaches several meters. The largest sequoia reached 7 meters at the base in diameter.

This is a real giant on our planet. Today, about 15 trees grow on Earth, the height of which reaches more than 110 meters. Scientists also counted 47 sequoias, which stretched more than 105 meters.

Does sequoia grow in Russia?

Basically, this giant tree is found in America on the Pacific coast. Sometimes they grow near the coast, but mostly they are located within 30-750 meters above sea level. This tree loves good humidity, so in dry places it is doomed to death. Some seeds successfully climbed even higher, gave their shoots and the trees took root well there. In any case, there are sequoias that grow well at an altitude of 920 meters above sea level.

This unique giant is very beautiful and fascinates with its size. Therefore, many national nature reserves in Europe successfully plant this tree, which, with proper care, reaches a relatively large size in the middle lane.

In Russia, sequoia can be found in the Crimea and Transcaucasia. The warm climate of these territories allows relic trees to grow to a very decent size. Of course, these sequoias are relatively young, they are no more than 200-250 years old. But on the other hand, there is a chance that if the climate does not change, they will grow for many more centuries to the delight of others.

The best of the decorations of our planet can be called its diverse flora - shrubs, trees and grasses of various types and different, sometimes record-breaking heights. These record holders include well-known Australian eucalyptus trees. Without these green giants, as without kangaroos and acacias, it is impossible to imagine Australia. Eucalyptus trees are an integral part of the rather poor forests that cover this unusual continent in some places.

Some green giants even exceed 100 m in height, with trunks over 30 m in girth and about 8 m thick. Just like skyscrapers, only miraculous and green. Naturally, the height of eucalyptus trees can be different, because the number of their species exceeds 300. It's funny that the birthplace of one of the largest eucalyptus trees on the planet is Australia, the smallest mainland on the planet. Another interesting fact is that the name of this unique tree does not correspond to reality, because "Eucalyptus" in Greek means " I cover well", which means I give a good shadow. In fact, the opposite is true. Eucalyptus trees absolutely do not give shade, despite their thick branches, and this is explained by the way their narrow leaves are placed, facing the sun with an edge and creating a blinds effect. Eucalyptus trees are evergreen trees, do not shed their green cover every year, like other plants, but shed their bark instead. This usually occurs in August (February in the southern hemisphere.) At this time, the trunks of the trees turn blue or bright yellow and become very smooth, and later on them renewed bark grows.

Eucalyptus trees are extremely useful. They grow very quickly, already in the first year reaching 2-3 m in height, and by the age of five 12 m, while the thickness of the trunk is up to 20 cm. It is during this period that they are most suitable for industrial use - the manufacture of beams and telegraph poles. Reaching the age of 20, the entire hectare of eucalyptus forest can produce up to 800 cubic meters. m of very valuable wood. None of the known types of wood can produce such an amount of it even in 120 years, because at 35 years old eucalyptus already has the parameters of a two-hundred-year-old oak.

Due to its extraordinary hardness, eucalyptus enjoys great fame. Its wood is widely used in the construction of ships, dams and various structures for which the durability of materials is important. Eucalyptus wood is also used in the manufacture of furniture, railway sleepers, and in the construction of houses. Eucalyptus practically does not rot, bark beetles do not start in it. It is very difficult to set fire to it, however, the coal obtained from eucalyptus has no equal in its properties. Also, many types of eucalyptus are rich in tannins, which are used to treat leather.

And this is not even all the useful properties of eucalyptus. As a rule, the flowers of plants growing in Australia are odorless, but their foliage is very fragrant. Eucalyptus is no exception to this rule - its leaves contain a huge amount of the most valuable essential oil (for example, half a liter of oil can be obtained from 36 kg of foliage), reminiscent of lemon in its smell. Eucalyptus oil is widely used in medicine and in the manufacture of cosmetics - soaps, varnishes, colognes, etc.

Eucalyptus trees need moist soil, which is why they grow mainly near rivers, lakes or the sea coast.

The most valuable of the properties of this tree is its amazing ability to drain the soil, due to which the eucalyptus is called the "pump tree". The widely developed root system of eucalyptus draws a large amount of moisture from the ground, which subsequently evaporates through the foliage. This is another paradox of eucalyptus - the most moisture-loving tree on the planet grows on the driest of its continents. It is estimated that just one hectare of eucalyptus forest evaporates about 12 million liters of water per year, which is more than a million buckets. For this reason, not a single plant can survive under the canopy of eucalyptus trees. Being natural pumps, eucalypts very quickly drain the surrounding area, and at the same time reduce the number of malaria mosquitoes. That is why eucalyptus trees are planted in huge quantities in countries with high air humidity located in different parts of the world. Many of these trees are also planted in the swamps of Colchis in Georgia. Where until recently no human foot has set foot, dense eucalyptus forests grow. Eucalyptus swallowed up not only the quicksand, but also destroyed the malarial mosquitoes that plagued Western Transcaucasia. Today, the drained lands of the humid subtropics, which turned out to be extremely fertile, are used to grow many valuable crops of the subtropics.

The history of the emergence of the common specific name of the green giants is very interesting. First they were named California pines or mammoth trees, because the ends of the branches of these trees, bent up, are very reminiscent of mammoth tusks. Choosing the scientific name of this tree, the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, who studied sequoia in 1859, gave her the name of the English commander Wellington, calling the tree "Giant Wellingtonia". True, this name did not last so long - outraged Americans quickly renamed the tree and named it after the national hero George Washington. So Wellingtonia became Washingtonia. To streamline the diversity of names, scientists came to a compromise solution - to call the tree the same way as the Indians called it - sequoia. Then they did not know that this name belonged to one of the leaders of the Iroquois, who led the liberation struggle of the Indians against the colonialists. It turns out that the tree did not receive the name of an Englishman or an American - the memory of an Indian folk hero is immortalized in it. True, the old name of the sequoia is often used - "mammoth tree".

In 1857, the sequoia was planted in the Crimea, in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, where it now surprises visitors with its impressive dimensions. In total, more than 100 sequoias grow on the territory of the Southern coast of Crimea.

The coniferous giants of North America, sequoias, are not inferior in height to Australian eucalyptus trees. The highest specimens also reach over 100 m, while their trunks are much thicker. So, for example, one of the sequoias known to science was 46 m in girth and 15 m in diameter.

Sequoias are real "living fossils". These trees were common during the ice age throughout the Northern Hemisphere, as well as in the southern regions of Eastern Europe. Just imagine how huge lizards - brontosaurs and dinosaurs - roamed under these trees, and pterodactyls, the ancestors of modern birds, used their branches for rest.

To our time, sequoias in the wild have survived on the planet only in the US state of California, and grow only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The average age of trees, like eucalyptus, is 3-4 thousand years, and thanks to the calculations of annual rings visible on the stump of one of the cut trees, a record age for a tree was found - 4830 years! By the way, cutting down such a tree is extremely difficult. One of the redwoods had to be sawn with a seven-meter saw for 17 days, and it took 30 large railway platforms to transport it.

Science knows cases in which there was a dance floor on the stump of a giant felled sequoia, on which not only an orchestra consisting of 4 people, but also 16 dancing couples and even 12 spectators freely accommodated.

In some cases, souvenir shops were placed in the hollows of the redwoods; moreover, the craftsman equipped a garage in one of the hollows. In one of the New York museums, a part of the trunk of a huge sequoia cut down in California is exhibited. The tree has a girth of 75 m. Inside it was equipped with a hall, which can easily accommodate about 150 people.

Sequoia wood, unlike eucalyptus, is light, but it also does not rot and was previously widely used in construction, which was the reason for the complete destruction of this incredible tree. Today, a small number of surviving giants are protected by law - they grow in nature reserves. In such reserves, each of the trees has its own name. The largest sequoia was named "Founder" (112 m in height). "Pride of the Forest", "General Sherman", "Abraham Lincoln" and many others also live here.

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Sequoia

1. General information, places of growth
2. sequoia wood

General information, places of growth

And giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), or mammoth tree, is rightfully considered one of the many wonders of the world in the plant world. These giant coniferous trees from the Taxodiaceae family reach a height of more than 110 m and a trunk diameter of up to 12 m, they live for about five thousand years. But it all starts with a tiny sequoia seed.

The history of the emergence and distribution of trees of this species on our planet is estimated at 140 million years, as evidenced by the fossilized trunks found and studied, impressions of scales and needles in geological deposits. Majestic sequoia forests in ancient times grew on the territory of today's France, Japan and even on Svalbard and the New Siberian Islands. But, according to scientific data, the decrease in air humidity and its temperature about 50 million years ago slowed down and slowed down the settling of sequoias. Its range has significantly decreased after the ice age due to the influence of many natural factors and has not changed.

Back in 1769, a Spanish expedition discovered a "red forest" in the area of ​​present-day San Francisco. And in 1847, the botanist and linguist S. Endlifer described these “red trees” in detail and named them Sequoia in honor of the head of the Cherokee Indian tribe Se-quo-yah, the author of the alphabet of his tribe.

Until 1848, sequoia forests were hardly exploited. The Indians were aware of them, but still preferred to live on the Pacific coast. They did not go deep into the forests until the appearance of the so-called "pioneers", who brought death to the indigenous people of America. It was difficult to fell such huge trees with an ax and even (much later) with a saw. In addition, thick trunks turned out to be less suitable for construction than, for example, pine or other conifers growing next to sequoia groves. The beginning of the extermination of unique groves, which have no analogues in beauty and grandeur throughout the globe, was the "gold fever" of 1848. When half of the patriarch trees were already destroyed, the US authorities took them under protection. They declared sequoia a public property and created national parks specifically for them.

Today, natural forests of evergreen sequoia have survived only on the Pacific coast of California, and giant sequoia, or mammoth tree, on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Here are the remains of forest giant groves, fantastic in their grandeur, that once covered the entire California coast of the Pacific Ocean.

Now evergreen sequoia forms separate massifs and more or less significant clumps, which are interspersed with patches of coniferous forests of other species along about 670 kilometers of the Pacific coast and up to 45 kilometers inland. It occupies valleys, plains, hills with rich, deep soils, rises up to 800-900m above sea level. The tree grows near the coasts and does not climb high into the mountains, because it needs high humidity for good growth.

The giant sequoia (mammoth tree), or (as it is sometimes called now, referring to a separate genus) sequoiadendron, is able to tolerate conditions of lower temperature and less humidity, this allows it to grow at an altitude of 2500m above sea level.

Sequoia: the largest organism on Earth. Sequoia NP, USA

Just like a green sequoia, it does not form a continuous array. It occupies rather gentle slopes and valleys with deep soils. The neighbors of the giant sequoia are yellow and sugar beets, fir, cedar, black oak and other species.

This is how the largest trees in the world grow in their homeland in the neighborhood, forming a real forest of giants. Evergreen sequoia reaches 110-120m in height, giant sequoia - 100m. The diameter of the thickest tree is 13m. It is not surprising that a car passes through a tunnel made in one of the growing trees.

The stock of timber per hectare in sequoia forests often reaches more than 25 thousand cubic meters. And durability! A giant sequoia has been preserved in Rodvuodsky Reserve, which the Indians, who migrated from the forest when the pioneers appeared, used it to observe and make signal fires of danger. This tree is 5,000 years old and still growing.

On a cut of another evergreen sequoia, certain sectors of annual rings are circled with paint. There is the following inscription: “1066 - the Battle of Hastings, 1212 - Signing of the Magna Carta, 1492 - Discovery of America, 1776 - adoption of the Declaration of Independence, 1930 - the year of logging. The tree was cut down in 1930 at the age of 1930! Its shoot appeared in the first year of our reckoning! Seeds of both types of sequoia have low germination. Therefore, in natural forests, self-seeding is not found everywhere. It is usually found in well-lit areas, with moist, loose soils. The most important biological feature of the sequoia is its ability to produce stump shoots, from which valuable forest stands are subsequently formed.

Thick bark (60 cm), huge size, saturation of wood with moisture, the absence of resinous substances in it and the presence of a large amount of tannin, make sequoia resistant to forest fires. Even sequoia trunks charred from above (due to fires) continue to grow, while other conifers and leafy species are destroyed. Sequoias are also not susceptible to insect damage and disease. Mighty roots protect them from the windblow.

It is curious that one of the closest relatives of the sequoia - the metasequoia - was discovered by scientists in the middle of the 20th century. At first, researchers believed that the metasequoia had long since died out. But in 1946 It was possible to prove that there are living trees belonging to this genus in the world. Metasequoia turned out to be a kind of "living fossil". Metasequoia seeds were sent to different parts of the world, including Russia. Now these giants with a pyramidal crown are also growing in the Sochi region.

sequoia wood

Pink, with a darker, slightly reddish core, evergreen sequoia wood with a specific gravity of 0.42 is quite strong. It does not rot for a long time, can withstand transverse loads and is therefore suitable for various purposes, including sawing.

The wood of the giant sequoia is lighter and more fragile. Its specific gravity is 0.30, it is not used for lumber. Sequoia can and even grows very well on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and in the Crimea. In these areas, many hectares of forest plantations have already been created with the participation of giant and evergreen sequoia. Particularly valuable specimens of trees and small plots of crops of these species are found in the Krasnodar Territory and in Georgia. Here, in some areas, giant trees grow in much the same way as in their homeland. Many of them are already bearing fruit. But all these cultures were created separately, in small areas, as it was within the framework of experiments under various conditions.

all types of trees

The largest, tallest tree in the world

giant sequoia

The giant sequoia (mammoth tree) is considered the largest tree in the world - it is a coniferous tree from North America, belonging to "living fossils". Previously, in the pre-glacial period, these giants were distributed throughout the northern hemisphere and dinosaurs lived under the shade of these trees. Fossil specimens show that giant sequoias existed in the Jurassic.

Age of sequoia

On Earth, sequoias have survived only in the state of California in the USA, on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains. In terms of life expectancy, sequoias are still inferior to spiny pines.

A record age of 4,830 years was found on one of the tree-ring cut redwoods, and the average age of the trees is 3,000 to 4,000 years.

Sequoia. The tree is a giant

Not only is the sequoia recognized as the largest and tallest tree in the world, it is also the largest living creature on planet Earth.

Young sequoia trees begin to branch along their entire length, but as they grow, the lower branches fall off, and a continuous canopy forms at the top, which almost does not let the sunlight down. Due to the lack of sunlight, the undergrowth is poorly developed, mainly shade-loving plants, ferns and young redwoods grow here.

Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park and Redwood Park are two places where sequoias have survived. Redwood Park is dominated by the evergreen sequoia, which grows up to 100 meters, while Sequoia Park is dominated by the giant sequoia. Sequoia Park is also famous for its caves, there are about 250 of them in the park.

Giant trees have beautiful names: "General Sherman", "Abraham Lincoln", "Pride of the Forest", "General Grant" and others.

The tallest, unfortunately, now not preserved tree, called the "Father of the Forests", reached a height of 135 meters, and its diameter was twelve meters, for comparison, the height of a Moscow 22-storey building (in new areas) is approximately 70 meters, hence the name of this giant.

giant of the stratosphere

The tallest surviving sequoiadendron giant (Sequoiadendron giganteum) was the "Giant of the Stratosphere", its height was 112 meters. But relatively recently, the record holder lost his position to another sequoiadendron named "Hypereon". The height of the "Hypereon" is about 113 meters, and we remember that a 22-storey building is only 70 meters, while its diameter is 11 meters, that is, several garages and a couple of dance floors could easily fit in the hollow of this glorious tree. There is so much wood in this tree that lovers of fireplace heating will not have to take care of firewood for a long time, the total volume of which is 1500 cubic meters, which is about 2.5 thousand tons.

Previously, sequoia was used in construction, thereby almost completely destroying these majestic trees. Wood was valued because it was light and did not rot. Now a small number of trees have been preserved in nature reserves and are protected by law.

Andrey Safonov, Samogo.Net

Reporting | USA | Sequoia National Park in California

United States → California Sequoia National Park

The park is world famous for its giant sequoias. One of them is the General Sherman Tree - the largest tree on Earth. This tree grows in the Giant Forest, which also contains five of the ten largest trees in the world by volume of timber. In addition, the Park has a number of other attractions. The most popular of them is Tunnel Log - a small car tunnel cut right in the middle of a giant sequoia that has fallen on the road.

Sequoia National Park is located in the southern part of the Sierra Nevada, California. The area of ​​the park is 1635 sq km. It is known for the fact that on its territory there are the highest, giant sequoia trees. They got their name in honor of the leader of the Cherokee Sequoia Indians. The park has a mountainous terrain, rising from a height of about 400 m above sea level in the foothills, to the top of the highest mountain in the neighboring 48 states, Mount Whitney, 4,421.1 m high. In addition to unique trees, the Park is also famous for its caves. There are about 250 of them here, one of which stretches for 32 kilometers in length. For tourists, only one cave is open - Crystal, the second largest in the Park.

The fossil specimens found give us an idea that sequoias existed in the Jurassic period and occupied vast territories in the Northern Hemisphere. Now they can only be found in California and Southern Oregon. Redwoods feel comfortable here because they love the moisture that sea fogs bring from the Pacific Ocean. Usually, giant sequoias reach a height of 100 m, up to 11 m in diameter. The average life expectancy of this huge living organism is 4 thousand years. The bark of the trees is thick, fibrous, not amenable to combustion. When touched, the palm seems to sink into the wood, creating unusual sensations.

Established in 1890 to protect forests formed by redwoods. Two types of sequoias grow here: giant and evergreen (mahogany). These are huge trees - more than 100 m in height and up to 10 m in girth, their age reaches 2-4 thousand years.

Sequoias - these giant trees are represented by two species - the evergreen sequoia and the giant sequoiadendron or mammoth tree. Their height reaches up to 100 meters, and the diameter is up to 10 meters. Sequoias are known for their age - a tree can live up to 4,000 years. The unique combination of age, size and weight of these trees makes them the largest living creatures on Earth today. And this is one of the few trees that has adapted to forest fires. The giant sequoia is second in life expectancy only to the bristlecone pines that are found in the arid mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

The park's most popular tree is the General Sherman tree, which is located in the Giant Forest.

This is the largest tree in the world, whose height is 81 meters, the diameter at the base is about 32 meters, and its age is about 3 thousand years. The Forest of the Giants contains five of the ten largest trees in the world by volume. The forest is connected by the Generals Road to the Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park, where another attraction of the park is located - the General Grant tree.

Evergreen Sequoia (Sequoia sempervirens)

Tunnel Log - a small car tunnel cut right in the middle of a giant sequoia that fell on the road.

Sequoia National Park is also famous for its caves, the number of which reaches up to 250. The length of one of them is 32 kilometers in length. Crystal Cave is the second largest and the only one that is open to tourists. Sequoia National Park is attractive with mountain scenery, beautiful waterfalls and high mountain meadows. The park is home to many species of animals, including the American elk, American black bear, white-tailed deer, coyote, lynx.

Material:

Report on natural history

2nd grade student Oskar-Daniel Remmelg

Kohtla-Järve Humanitarian Gymnasium.

Topic of the report: “Sequoia”.

Sequoia is the tallest coniferous tree on earth. It grows in the only place on our planet - in the Sequoia and Redwood National Parks in California, USA.

Sequoia was named so in honor of the leader of the Cherokee Indian tribe Sequoias, who was the first to invent an alphabet for his tribe.

In appearance, sequoias resemble our pine, only enlarged several times. Their trunks stretch to the sky to a height comparable to 50-story skyscrapers - over 100 meters.

Redwoods sometimes live up to four thousand years. This is due to the strength of their wood and the pungent smell of resin, which repels carpenter beetles. The sequoia also has another protective means of protection - a thick bark that absorbs moisture well. This saves the giant from fires.

Sequoia - a giant tree

Imagine, sequoia bark does not burn! Fire chars only the outer layer of the bark.

But the most amazing feature of the sequoia is that it can be said to be friends with fire! Scientists explain the reason for this friendship as follows. Sequoias have small seeds - tiny, like grains. Therefore, it is difficult for them to germinate when they fall to the ground, because there are a lot of fallen needles and leaves of other trees on the ground under the tree. This is where the fire comes to the rescue of the giants - the leaves and needles burn under the tree and space is vacated. Now the sequoia seeds have a place to germinate. Sometimes foresters discuss: maybe they set fires on purpose?

We know that the age of a tree can be determined by the number of rings on the cut of the trunk. Could you determine the age of a long-lived tree?

Any person, even if he is as tall as a basketball player, when standing next to this giant, feels like a small helpless creature, because the sequoia is about 50 times larger than the average human height.

In the middle of the 19th century, these giants were endangered, then they were actively used as a building material. Now the valuable and beautiful wood of these giants is used to make furniture. However, the US National Park Service does not leave attempts to attach the remaining forest areas to protected areas.

Tourists come from all over the world to see these beautiful and largest trees. Also, people are attracted by beautiful mountain landscapes, picturesque waterfalls, alpine meadows and animals that live there.

Questions asked to students in class:

What tree was discussed in the report?

In which country does the sequoia grow?

Is the sequoia a coniferous or deciduous tree?

What is special about the sequoia?

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During the report, color illustrations and photographs from the Internet were shown.

The only species of the genus is red or evergreen sequoia. It is the symbol of the US state of California. Known throughout the world for its gigantic size and rot-resistant wood.

Description of sequoia

Sequoia is considered the tallest tree on the planet. It belongs to the genus of coniferous plants, which means it is also one of the most ancient plants.

During the excavations, it was found that the first redwoods appeared on earth about 208 million years ago and occupied vast territories in the northern hemisphere.

Nowadays, sequoia is found freely in the state of California. This tree is not widely used because it needs a lot of water for normal growth, so it does not go far from the ocean coast.

At the moment, the current record for the tallest tree is 115.5 meters.

For the first time this plant was found in the coastal zone of the Pacific Ocean. For the color of its wood, the sequoia received the first name "mahogany", which is still known. A little later, this plant was bred into a separate species.

For the excellent qualities of wood sequoia gained wide popularity and began to be used for the manufacture of various products.

The sequoia has a conical crown, the branches are horizontal or slightly inclined downward. The thickness of the bark is very large and can reach 30 cm, fibrous, relatively soft, immediately after removal, the color is red-brown, and fades over time.

The root system is shallow, consists of lateral roots.

Sequoia is the largest tree in the world

The size of the leaves does not exceed 20-30 mm in length. They have a flat and elongated shape in young trees.

Sequoia care

Decorative sequoia is very demanding on the amount of moisture in the soil, it is necessary to constantly monitor its level. Dry soil is very harmful to the plant.

Throughout the entire period of life, decorative sequoia needs mineral fertilizers. You need to monitor the level of lighting, on a hot day the plant can absorb a lot of water, so it needs to be watered regularly.

Sequoia breeding

Initially, the sequoia did not grow in our climate, but thanks to the efforts of landscapers and dendrologists, species resistant to a cool climate appeared. Redwood propagation is possible by germinating very small seeds.

These seeds are stored in cones. One cone can contain from 150 to 200 seeds. After lengthy experiments, an adult sequoia began to withstand frosts from 18 to 20 degrees.

Vegetative propagation is also possible: by grafting and cuttings. The vitality of the sequoia has been perfected over thousands of years.

This tree can easily sprout from an old stump or sprout hundreds of offshoots from a fallen trunk. Such a rapid renewal was made possible by the awakening of dormant kidneys.

Sequoia planting

Sequoia should be planted in a nutrient substrate, it is advisable to use growth stimulants. It is possible, but not necessary, to lay a layer of coarse sand at the bottom of the landing pit. Young specimens need to be covered for the winter or grown in greenhouses.

Sequoias can be planted in the spring, from April to May. The plant is very sensitive to transplants, so it is advisable to keep an earthen ball on the roots and perform all actions in a short period of time.

The use of sequoia in the garden

Due to its large size, the sequoia is often used as a tapeworm in parks. It is not recommended to land in small areas. Decorative forms of sequoia are often used for bonsai gardens.

Sequoia sempervirens (D.Don) Endl. - Sequoia evergreen, or red sequoia.

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Name

The generic name was proposed by the Austrian botanist Stefan Endlicher in 1847 for the tree formerly known as Taxodium sempervivens. D.Don, Endlicher did not indicate its origin. In 1854, Asa Gray, who recognized the need to distinguish the genus, wrote about the new name as "meaningless and dissonant." In 1858, George Gordon published the etymology of the generic names of a number of genera of conifers proposed by Endlicher, but he did not find an explanation for the name "Sequoia".

In 1868 California geologist Josiah Dwight Whitney in a guide to Yosemite The Yosemite Book indicated that the plant was named after Sequoia  (George Hess) ( Sequoyah, OK. 1770 - c. 1843) - chief of the Cherokee Indian tribe, inventor of the Cherokee syllabary (1826) and founder of the Cherokee newspaper. According to Whitney, Endlicher learned about the Indian chief from an article in country gentleman that caught his attention. From later editions The Yosemite Book phrase about the article country gentleman was removed due to its obvious fallacy. Endlicher published the title in 1847, died March 28, 1849, and the first number country gentleman only came out on November 4, 1852. AT country gentleman indeed, an article mentioning the Sequoia appeared only on January 24, 1856. This article described the tree Sequoia gigantea, and also for the first time it was assumed that it was named after an Indian leader.

In 1860 in a magazine The Gardener's Monthly two articles appeared, in the first of which a certain L. supported the justification for naming a plant genus after a prominent Indian chief, and in the second editor of the journal Thomas Meehan reported that neither he nor L. no, but it seems to them quite probable.

George Gordon suggested in 1862 that Sequoia derived from lat. sequī - "follow something", in his opinion this genus "follows" the genus Taxodium, from which Endlicher isolated it. However, he also isolated the genus Glyptostrobus from the genus Taxodium, but called it completely differently.

It should be noted that in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bnatural distribution, the sequoia is better known as the “mahogany” (eng. Redwood, or Coastal Redwood, or California Redwood), Redwood and Muir forest reserves are located in this area; at the same time, plants of the related species sequoiadendron are known as "giant sequoias". It is the latter that grow in the Sequoia National Park.

Botanical description

Distribution and ecology

It grows in the United States along the Pacific coast in a strip about 750 km long and 8 to 75 km wide from California to southwestern Oregon, and is also grown in the Canadian province of British Columbia, in the southeastern United States from east Texas to Maryland, in Hawaii , in New Zealand, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, South Africa and Mexico. Average heights - 30-750 m above sea level, sometimes trees grow near the shore, sometimes climb to a height of up to 920 m. Sequoia loves the humidity that the sea air brings with it. The tallest and oldest trees grow in gorges and deep ravines, where currents of moist air can reach all year round and where fogs regularly occur. Trees growing above the fog layer (above 700 m) are lower and smaller due to drier, windier and cooler growing conditions.

Facts

Trees taller than 60 m are very common, many taller than 90 m.

On planet Earth, there is a special genus of trees that contains only one species. This monotypic genus of trees is called sequoia. Sequoias grow along the Pacific coast of North America. Sequoia evergreen or red Sequoia sempervirens), taxodium evergreen Taxodium sempervirens) is all the same tree.

These woody plants are distinguished from others by their height, the average value of which is about 90 meters, but there are also champions. Sequoia, which was called the "Father of the forests", had a maximum height. It grew in the past, unfortunately, it has not survived to our times. There is only one record holder left.

The maximum height that was recorded near the tree "Father of the Forests" is 135 meters! Today, the indicator of the maximum height of the sequoia environment belongs to the Hyperion tree, named after the titan of ancient Greek mythology.

Hyperion is an evergreen sequoia with a maximum height of 115.6 meters and is the tallest tree on Earth. You can admire them by visiting the Redwood National Park, located in the United States in northern California.

Naturalist Chris Atkinson and his assistant Michael Taylor found a particularly gigantic tree among the tallest trees, which was later named "Hyperion". It happened in the summer of 2006. In diameter, the tree is no less huge - at the level of one and a half meters, the diameter of the tree is about 5 meters! The estimated age of the giant is about 800 years.