Plant of the month December 2016

Sequoia sempervirens (Coast redwood)

Family: Cupressaceae
Origin: Oregon & California
Accession: 1971
Location: by the Education Centre

Sequoia sempervirens is the only living species in the genus Sequoia, within the same sub-family as Sequoiadendron and Metasequoia. It is an evergreen monoecious tree living 1,200–1,800 years or more and includes the tallest living trees, reaching up to 379 feet in height. Before commercial logging commenced in the 1850s, it occurred naturally along much of coastal California and SW Oregon, dependent on precipitation especially fog coming off the ocean. As a timber species it is highly valued for its beauty, light weight, and resistance to fire and decay, which has contributed to its current “Endangered” conservation status.