 Evergreen Tree Sunset Zones: 4-9, 14-24 Full Sun or Light Shade Moderate to Regular Water Native to Coast Ranges from southern Oregon to central coastal California. One of the West's most famous native trees (equally renowned is its close relative Sequoiadendron, called giant sequoia or big tree). Coast redwood is the tallest of the world's trees: some individuals in the wild are over 350 ft. high. Fine landscaping tree - almost entirely pest free and almost always fresh looking and woodsy smelling. In its native range, a redwood tree grows rapidly (3 - 5 ft. a year in its early years) but will reach only about 70 - 90 ft. tall, 15 - 30 ft. wide in 25 years. In less favorable areas, grows more slowly and tops out at perhaps 50 ft. Typically forms a symmetrical pyramid of soft-looking foliage. Flat, pointed, narrow, inch-long leaves are typically medium green on top, grayish beneath; they grow in one plane on both sides of stem, giving stem a featherlike look. Small (1/2 - 1 1/2 in.), roundish brown cones. Red-brown, fibrous-barked trunk goes straight up. A trunk with nearly parallel sides indicates a healthy redwood; one with a noticeable taper means the tree is struggling. Habit is somewhat variable, but most redwoods have main branches that grow straight out from trunk and curve up at tips; slightly drooping branchlets grow from these. *The information above was provided by Sunset Western Garden Book (Eight edition, published in 2007). For additional information on certain cutivars of redwoods, continue your information search on page 623 of the Sunset Western Garden Book. Picture by Cesar Lopez Additional Information: http://www.conifers.org |
Redwood - Sequoia sempervirens |