Sequoia sempervirens

Sequoia sempervirens (18/02/2012, Kew, London)

Position: Full sun

Flowering period: Late winter

Soil: Well drained, moist

Eventual Height: 60m (115m in the wild)

Eventual Spread: 10m

Hardiness: 8a, 8b, 9a,  9b

Family: Cupressaceae

Subfamily: Sequoioideae

Sequoia sempervirens is a large, long lived, columnar, evergreen tree with a conical crown.  It produces dark green juvenile and mature leaves. Its juvenile leaves are slender, quite flat, linear, up to 25mm long with pointed tips. Its mature leaves are scale like and up to 10mm long. The branches of the tree form a narrow conical crown and are horizontal or down-curved. The trunk of this tree may achieve a diameter of up to 4m. The bark of the tree is thick (up to 30cm), soft, fissured with red brown bark (bright red when exposed). The female seed cones are ovoid, up to 30mm long with 15-25 spirally arranged scales and mature 9 months after pollination. Each scale bears up to 7 seeds. The male pollen bearing cones are oval and up to 6mm long.

Sequoia sempervirens leaf (18/02/2012, Kew, London)

Sequoia sempervirens, commonly known as Coast Redwood or California Redwood, is native to the western coastal region of North America. It is the sole species of the Sequoia genus. It is a long lived tree and this species includes the tallest living organism on earth, measured at 115.6m tall. Discovered in 1769, Sequoia sempervirens was not described botanically for  more than 50 years. It was introduced to Britain in 1843. Sequoia sempervirens has naturalised in New Zealand.

Sequoia sempervirens Male Pollen Cones (02/02/2014, Kew Gardens, London)

The etymological root of the binomial name Sequoia is named after George Gist (Sequoyah) (1770-1843), the mixed race Native American who invented the Cherokee alphabet. Sempervirens is derived from the Latin semper ‘always’ and virere ‘green’.

Sequoia sempervirens cone (18/02/2012, Kew, London)

The landscape architect may find Sequoia sempervirens useful as a large columnar evergreen specimen tree. If grown in shady conditions it will shed its lower branches. It may also be used for forest planting schemes.

Ecologically, Sequoia sempervirens forests in their native habitat provide habitat for a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

The Royal Horticultural Society has given Sequoia sempervirens their prestigious Award of Garden Merit in 1993.

Sequoia sempervirens trunk (18/02/2012, Kew, London)

Sequoia sempervirens prefers moist, fertile, well drained soils. It will tolerate most pH of soil. It grows well in wet soils. 

Sequoia sempervirens requires little maintenance.

Sequoiadendron giganteum

Sequoiadendron giganteum (16/08/2011, Cambridge)

Position: Full sun to partial shade

Soil: Deep, well drained

Flowering period: Spring

Eventual Height: 80m

Eventual Spread: 10m

Hardiness: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a

Family: Cupressaceae

Subfamily: Sequoioideae

Sequoiadendron giganteum is a fast growing evergreen, coniferous tree with an uptight, cone shaped habit. Its leaves are awl-shaped and arranged spirally on the shoots. Its monoecious flowers are wind pollinated, taking the form of cones which take 18-20 months to mature. It has distinctive red coloured fibrous bark which is deeply furrowed and can be up to 90cm thick at the base of a mature tree.

Sequoiadendron giganteum Leaf (190/09/2015, Kew Gardens, London)

Sequoiadendron giganteum, commonly known as the Giant Sequoia, Sierra Redwood or Wellingtonia, is native to the western slopes of Sierra Nevada in the USA. This tree is the only living tree in its genus and is one of three trees know as Redwoods, the other two being Sequoia sempervirens (Cost Redwood) and Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood). Sequoiadendron giganteum  is the worlds largest tree in terms of total volume.

Sequoiadendron giganteum was first named Wellingtonia gigantea in 1853 by John Lindley, this had to be changed as the genus Wellingtonia had already been used for an unrelated plant. In 1854 it was renamed to Sequoia gigantia by Joseph Decaisne. Once again this name was invalid. In 1907 Carl Ernst Otto Kuntze place this tree in the fossil genus Steinhauera. However doubts as to whether this tree was related to this genus made this name invalid. It was finally given its current nomenclatural name in 1939 by J. Buchholz.

Sequoiadendron giganteum juvenile cones (16/08/2011, Cambridge)

The etymological root of the binomial name Sequoiadendron is derived from Sequoia  meaning ‘Big Tree’ from the famous Native American Cherokee tribe and dendron the Latin for ‘tree’.  Giganteum is derived from the Latin meaning large or gigantic.

Sequoiadendron giganteum may be useful to the landscape architect as a large, maintenance free evergreen conifer specimen tree. This tree will not tolerate maritime exposure

The Royal Horticultural Society gave Sequoiadendron giganteum their prestigious Award of Garden Merit in 1993.

Sequoiadendron giganteum Bark (190/09/2015, Kew Gardens, London)

Sequoiadendron giganteum will tolerate most soil conditions; it will be happy at neutral to acid pH levels, in loam. It prefers a sandy soil although loamy or clay soils are both acceptable.

Ecologically,  Sequoiadendron giganteum may attract various species of birds which will perch on its branches and shelter in its foliage.

Sequoiadendron giganteum requires little maintenance. Dead or damaged material may be removed in winter.

Landscape Architecture

Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Metasequoia glyptostroboides leaf (13/08/2011,London)

Position: Full sun

Soil: Moist, poorly drained soil

Flowering period: Spring

Eventual Height: 40m

Eventual Spread: 8m

Hardiness: 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a

Family: Cupressaceae

Subfamily: Sequoioideae

Metasequoia glyptostroboides is a fast growing deciduous, coniferous tree with an uptight, cone shaped habit. Its foliage is composed of flat compound leaves with narrow, pale green leaflets which will become brownish-pink and yellow in the autumn. Its monoecious flowers are wind pollinated, taking the form of cones.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides (13/08/2011, London)

Metasequoia glyptostroboides, commonly known as the Dawn Redwood, is native to eastern Asia, including China. It was thought to be extinct until a small stand was discovered by Zhan Wang near the Yangtze River in 1944. This tree is the only living tree in its genus and is known as a fossil species; as it was first described as a fossil before being discovered as a living specimen.

Metasequoia is derived from the Greek meta meaning ‘similar to’ and Sequoia is the name given to Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempirvirens (its name being derived from a famous Native American of the Cherokee tribe)).  Glyptostroboides is a Latinised word alluding to its similarities to members of the Glyptostrobus genus.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides autumn (12/11/2011, Kew, London)

Metasequoia glyptostroboides may be useful to the landscape architect as a large, maintenance free deciduous conifer specimen tree. It is suitable for planting in moist to waterlogged soils.

The Royal Horticultural Society gave Metasequoia glyptostroboides their prestigious Award of Garden Merit in 1993.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides will tolerate almost any soil conditions; it will be happy at neutral, acid or alkaline pH levels, in loam, chalk, clay or sand based soils, facing any sheltered or exposed aspect.

Ecologically, Metasequoia glyptostroboides will attract various species of birds which will shelter from predators in its foliage.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides requires no maintenance. Dead or damaged material may be removed in winter.

Landscape Architecture