Redwood

Taxodium sempervirens D. Don in Lambert, Descr. Pinus 2: 24. 1824

Trees to ca. 110 m; trunk to 9 m diam.; crown conic and monopodial when young, narrowed conic in age. Bark reddish brown, to ca. 35 cm thick, fibrous, ridged and furrowed. Branches downward sweeping to slightly ascending. Leaves 1--30 mm, generally with stomates on both surfaces, the free portion to 30 mm, those on leaders, ascending branchlets, and fertile shoots divergent to strongly appressed, short-lanceolate to deltate, those on horizontally spreading to drooping branchlets mostly linear to linear-lanceolate, divergent and in 2 ranks, with 2 prominent, white abaxial stomatal bands. Pollen cones nearly globose to ovoid, 2--5 mm, borne singly on short terminal or axillary stalks. Seed cones 1.3--3.5 cm. Seeds flattened, 3--6 mm, leathery. 2 n = 66.

Coastal redwood forests; generally below 300 m, occasionally to 1000 m; Calif., Oreg.

Redwood is the only naturally occurring hexaploid conifer. It is one of only a few vegetatively reproducing conifers (from stump sprouts) and possibly the tallest tree species known. Winter buds, though small, are evident.

Redwood, including Sequoia sempervirens and Sequoiadendron giganteum , is the state tree of California.