Scientific Name:
Sequoiadendron giganteum
Pronunciation:
see-kwoy-uh-DEN-dron jy-GAN-tee-um
Common Name:
Sierra redwood, giant sequoia
Family Name:
Cupressaceae
Plant Type:
Conifer
Key ID Features:
Bark thick, cinnamon red, spongy; branches generally horizontal to downward-sweeping with upturned ends, branchlets cord-like; leaves overlapping in three longitudinal rows, scale-like with sharply-pointed awls that are 3-6mm long towards the branch tips; seed cones egg-shaped mature reddish-brown, 4-9cm long; seeds 3-9 per scale, 3-6mm long with two wings of unequal lengths; seedlings with (3-)4(-6) cotyledons. Conifers.org
Habit:
Dense, Stiffly upright
Form:
Pyramidal - widely
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
> 30m
Mature Spread:
> 25m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
U.S. - southwest
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 6: (-23 to -18 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Specimen plant, Wind break
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars on campus may include S. 'Pendulum' (see separate entry).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Scale-like
Arrangement:
Alternate, Imbricate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous
Colour in Summer:
Bluish, Green
Colour in Fall:
Bluish, Green
Shapes:
Ovate, Other
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Decurrent
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
n/a (male cone)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Colour (petals):
Male cone, No flowers, Yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Fruit Type:
Cone (winged seeds)
Fruit Colour:
Green, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
Additional Info:
Persistent
Bark Morphology:
Spongy, Deeply fissured, Single stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Orange, Red, Brown
Propagation:
Seed, Softwood cuttings
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Dieback, Root rot
Course(s):
- AARB 1012
- HORT 1155
- Level 1 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (ENA) Eastern North American planting : 43, 44, 45
- (GAZ) GAZebo
- (GAZS) GAZebo South : cv. Pendulum
- (SQC) SeQuoiadendron Courtyard : 371, 372, 373