Redwood

It is the tallest being in the world: the Howard Libby Tree, of California, is a specimen of this specie that is 112m height and 13m diameter.

Unlike most conifers la sequoia grows from sprouts that begin to grow from the edge of a stump of a pruned specimen which regenerates without seeds, but it is not as resistant as the giant sequoia.

It does not tolerate dry soils, cold winds or low temperatures, but in the deep Californian soils, where it is exposed to the fresh humid breeze of the Pacific it may live over 2.000 years.

The natural forests of sequoias are unique since not only they contain thick groups of trees of 60 to 100m height and of 4 to 6m diameter, but also man of this groups are so dense that between two there is a narrow passage. One of its most relevant characteristics is its soft, fibrous brown-reddish bark, which in old trees it may have up to 40cm thick and it is deeply fissured with awns of irregular edge, interweave. It is a tree very resistant to fire, fungi and also insects.

SIts foliage is similar to the yew, with linear pointed leaves of 1,5-2cmlong by 2,5-3mmm wide, dark green by the bunch, but with two white stripes in the underside, which are not in the yew leaves.

The yellow male flowers of 2mm diameter, are formed in the extremes of the twigs, while the oval greenish female of 1cm long are formed by 14-20 bracts of pointed but short apex. The cones are 2cm long and have thin peduncles, initially spherical ovoid with rugose scales, but then they turn brownish. The seeds have a narrow wing and are extremely tiny: in a kilogram there are about 250.000.

Its soft, durable and easy to work wood is almost the same as the giant sequoia, but it is stronger. (Anyway, the latter is not exploited). In ancient times ii was used in construction and for railway sleepers. Today great quantities of sequoia wood are still commercialized, but recently extensive areas have been reserved to keep them as natural parks.

Encyclopedia BLUME, Trees, wood and forests of the world, H. Edlin/M.Nimmo, page 94.