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giant sequoia |
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giant sequoia: see sequoia sequoia (sĭkwoi`ə), name for the redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and for the big tree, or giant sequoia ( ..... Click the link for more information. . big treeor giant sequoia or Sierra redwoodConiferous evergreen (Sequoiadendron giganteum; see conifer) found in scattered groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada range of California, U.S. The largest of all trees in bulk, the big tree is distinguished from the coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) by having uniformly scalelike, or awl-shaped, leaves that lie close against the branches, scaleless winter buds, and cones requiring two seasons to mature. The pyramidal tree shape, reddish brown furrowed bark, and drooping branches are common to both genera. The largest specimen (in total bulk) is the General Sherman tree in Sequoia National Park—101.5 ft (31 m) in circumference at its base, 272.4 ft (83 m) tall, and weighing an estimated 6,167 tons (5,593 metric tons). Because big-tree lumber is more brittle than redwood lumber and thus less desirable, the big tree has been easier to preserve; though some groves have been cut, most of the 70 remaining groves are now protected by state or national forests or parks. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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| Laura Diaz walks slowly in past a grove of giant sequoias. Coast redwoods, and the giant sequoias that follow, are big--I mean really big--even compared to other megatrees. In My First Summer in the Sierra, he writes that soon after the first giant sequoias were "discovered" by whites in 1852, in California's Calaveras Grove (now Calaveras State Park), "One of the grandest trees was cut down for the sake of a stump |
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