Why is sequoia called a mammoth tree? Sequoia and mammoth tree

(Sequoiadendron)- a genus of woody plants of the Taxodiaceae family (lat. Taxodiaceae), which, without exaggeration, can be called living fossils. This genus has only one species - giant sequoiadendron, or mammoth tree (Sequoiadendron giganteum). Redwood forests were first discovered by Europeans on the coast Pacific Ocean in 1769, and in 1853 sequoiadendron was described by the famous English botanist D. Lindley, who gave it the name wellingtonia in honor of the Englishman Duke of Wellington, hero of the Battle of Waterloo. But in 1939, this genus received the name "sequoiadendron" because the name "Wellingtonia" had previously been assigned to another plant.

Coniferous heartwood, the wood of which is distinguished by a light red heartwood, medium hardness and good mechanical properties. The high density makes this wood light but strong, and the combination of oils and resins almost eliminates rotting, attacks by termites and other insects. It is perfect for construction work, for making fences and tiles, and the thick bark of this tree (30-60 cm) can be used as linings in fruit containers. It was precisely because of high-quality wood that the predatory extermination of sevoyadendrons began since the time of the first explorers. Nowadays, this endangered species is protected and therefore is largely excluded from economic use.

In nature, sequoiadendron can only be found in nature reserves on the western slopes of the California Sierra Nevada, where it grows in the Mariposa Grove forest, located 35 miles from Yosemite Valley. Sequoiadendrons grow in small individual groves (about 30 in total) at an altitude of 1500-2000 m above sea level. The remaining trees to date, and there are only about 500 of them, have been declared protected. The largest sequoiadendrons bear proper names: "Father of the Forests", "General Sherman", "General Grant". One of them is the "Giant Grizzly", whose age is 2700 years. This long-liver reaches a height of 65 meters, and the diameter of its base is 9 meters. An orchestra and three dozen dancers can easily fit on the cut of another tree. Tunnels made in the lower parts of trunks are also known (for example, in Yosemite Park such a tunnel has existed since 1881. Cars can freely pass through it.
Sequoiadendrons are also known to be up to 135 m high and about 6,000 years old.
Sequoiadendrons, like their closest relatives, redwoods, are perfectly adapted to frequent forest fires. Their wood and bark are fire resistant. Black scars on the trunks large trees evidence of fires experienced. In addition, the reproduction of these plants depends on fires. The tiny seeds require minimal soil to germinate, and the seedlings require sun. Fires destroy competing trees and provide fertile ash plus direct access to the sun.

In many countries around the world, sequoiadendron is bred as ornamental plant. It looks especially attractive at the age of 80-100 years, when its dark green crown, which starts from the ground, has a regular pyramidal shape. Sequoiadendron is also colored by reddish bark, scale-like needles and small single cones with flat shield-shaped scales arranged in a spiral. With age, the correctness of the crown is disrupted, the previously decorative trunk becomes bare and thickens, and the tree takes on a monumental appearance.
Sequoiadendron was brought to Europe in 1853. It has taken root well in the gardens and parks of its southwestern part, especially in Great Britain, where the largest cultivar is located, the height of which reaches 45 m.

The seeds of this giant tree arrived in Russia five years later. Thus, in Nikitsky botanical garden the first sequoiadendrons were planted, and later they appeared on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and in Central Asia. Despite the fact that in artificial conditions these trees grow slower than in their homeland, they also reach quite impressive sizes.

CULTIVATION FEATURES, SOIL, PLANTING RULES
Since sequoiadendron is not widely used for landscape construction, the basic rules for caring for it have not been fully developed. Thus, if a gardener decides to purchase a sequoiadendron for landscaping his garden plot, he must follow general rules for breeding coniferous plants. It should also be noted that sequoiadendron prefers moist warm climate (Maximum temperature in July it is 25-29°C).
Most groves that consist of sequoiadendrons grow on granitic residual and alluvial soils. The giant tree prefers well-drained, moist sandy loams with a pH of 5.5 to 7.5. In general, with sufficient air and soil humidity, the plant is not very demanding on the mechanical composition of the soil.
To plant sequoiadendron, you should follow the basic rules for planting conifers. Planting holes should be prepared in advance. For heavy soils, drainage from gravel or broken brick with a layer of 20 cm is required. Before planting, it is recommended to prepare special soil - turf or leaf soil with the addition of sand or clay. When planting, the root collar should be at ground level. During the first two years after planting, mineral fertilizers are applied to the soil in an amount of 30-40 g/cm. If it's dry hot weather, the plants need to be watered, sprinkling twice a month.

REPRODUCTION
The main method of propagation is by seeds, but it can also be propagated by cuttings.
Seeds are sown in spring (April, May) either without prior preparation, or they are soaked in water for 1-2 days (soil germination rate 1-2%). By autumn, the seedlings have up to six shoots and reach a height of 8-10 cm, and in the second year of life they grow to 20-30 cm.

DISEASES AND PESTS
Sequoiadendron is very resistant to diseases and pests, but in climate conditions Black Sea coast The Caucasus is affected by root rot, and in more northern regions grows very slowly and is damaged by frost.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Sequoiadendron is recommended for use in single and solitary plantings.

Probably very tall and with a very thick trunk, if that’s what it’s called, many of us will decide. Few Russian residents have seen it. After all, it grows far overseas, in Central America.

Indeed, the sequoia dendron, or mammoth tree, can be up to 100 meters high with a trunk diameter of up to 10 m. This is difficult to imagine. A tree that is taller than the tallest house! And how shocked the Europeans were when they saw such a forest! It was in 1762 in the south North America, on the Pacific coast.

The tree was named sequoia by the Austrian botanist Stefan Endlicher in honor of the outstanding leader of the American Iroquois tribe Sequoia. Now botanists call it sequoia dendron.

This tree lives for a very long time. They say the age is both 3 and 4 thousand years. IN at different ages Sequoia dendron looks different. young tree, about a hundred years old, looks like a dark green pyramid. The translucent reddish trunk is covered with branches from the very ground to the top. Over time, the trunk becomes exposed and thick, and then becomes gigantic.

It is known that thirty people can easily fit on one stump of the Mammoth tree. And in one of the parks in America, a tunnel has been punched through its trunk, through which cars can freely pass.

Now there are only 500 of these trees left. They are protected, they are even given their own names, for example “Father of the Forests”, “General Grant”. Its red wood does not rot, and this was one of the reasons for the destruction of these trees.

Sequoia evergreen is a relative of Sequoia dendron, but is slightly smaller in size. Its wood is highly prized. It is also red and does not rot. Mahogany furniture is redwood furniture.

Sequoia grows very quickly, and forests of these beautiful trees are grown in America.

Sequoia dendron giant and sequoia evergreen differ from each other in the shape of their leaves and the size of their cones. Sequoia has narrow leaves and from a distance it seems like there are needles on the branches. Its branch is fluffier than that of the Mammoth tree, whose leaves are more like scales.

Evergreen sequoias have taken root on the shores of the Black Sea, in the Crimea and in the Caucasus.

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Sequoia evergreen (mammoth tree) – the only representative of the genus of woody plants from the Cypress family.

origin of name

Regarding the origin of the name, from the moment the name “sequoia” was assigned to this plant by the Austrian botanist S. Endlicher in 1847, until today, there has been debate among specialists about the etymology of this word. The researchers were divided into two opposing camps. The first believe that the name was given in honor of the leader of one of the Cherokee Indian tribes (the tribe lived in the area where this plant was first encountered and described) - George Guest (Sequoias), in order to perpetuate his name and contribution to the development of the Cherokee language, so how he invented the Cherokee alphabet and was the publisher of the first newspaper in this language (in 1826). Moreover, S. Endlicher’s biographers note his interest in linguistics and his tendency to name new plants in honor of famous personalities. The latter believe that the name “sequoia” has roots in Latin, where it means “to follow something,” explaining that the genus Sequoia was bred from the genus Taxodium and is its follower, also a follower of the vegetation of the forests of the past. Indeed, Sequoia is one of the ancient plants on the planet.

Modern research from 2012 to 2017 tends to favor the first version of the origin of the name Sequoia.

There is another name for this plant - mammoth tree. Really relevant appearance this relict plant. A tree of enormous height and thickness, with a bizarre trunk shape and branches reminiscent of a tusker.

Description

Sequoia is evergreen tree, one of the tallest (up to 110 m) and long-lived (more than 2000 years) plants on the planet. The tall, straight trunk grows more than 10 meters in diameter and has a very thick bark, sometimes more than 30 cm. In its natural habitat habitats Sequoia is called “mahogany” because when the bark is removed from the tree, it has a red-brown color, which darkens after a while. The conical crown is formed by long branches that grow almost horizontally or slightly at an angle. The leaves on the branches are flat and elongated, growing up to 2.5 cm, while older leaves are scale-like and shorter - from 0.5 to 1 cm. The roots do not penetrate deeply into the ground, but diverge widely with lateral shoots.

Sequoia has a feminine and masculinity(monoecious plant). Pollination occurs towards the end of winter, then after 8-9 months, ovoid cones up to 3 cm in size ripen. Inside each cone there are up to 7 seeds, each up to 4 mm.

Reproduction

Propagated by seeds and vegetatively by cuttings and grafting. It easily produces new shoots from an already cut tree - from a stump, or produces lateral shoots from the trunk, which is due to the presence of dormant buds.

Growing conditions

Research shows that the first sequoias appeared on earth more than 200 million years ago and occupied vast areas northern hemisphere. Then, with a change in climate on the planet, the plant gradually moved to more southern latitudes and was discovered and described on the Pacific coast. Sequoia loves vast spaces, warmth and a lot of moisture in the soil, which is why today it is distributed mainly on the American continent, in the state of California, near the ocean. The growing area is not very large, approximately 700 km along coastline, going deeper into the continent from 8 to 75 km. It grows both on the flat coast and rising to a height of up to 900 m above sea level. Sequoia loves ravines and gorges, especially those where there is often fog, but specimens growing above 300 meters above sea level do not tall and not so powerful. It is also introduced in latitudes where the climate is suitable for it, in particular in the Sochi Black Sea region there are comfortable conditions for the growth of this giant tree. Is thermophilic tropical plant, can tolerate short-term frosts down to -15ºС.

Application

Lightweight, easy to rot and durable wood allows you to use Sequoia as construction material, in furniture production, in the manufacture of sleepers and support masts. Since wood is practically odorless, it is widely used as a container board in the production of packaging for Food Industry and tobacco production.

Selected species of Sequoia are used in landscape construction as dominants and in the art of bonsai.

Since this plant is considered a relict, scientists carefully monitor unique specimens and classify Sequoia as one of the most tall plants on the planet. Such specimens are given names and issued a passport. The tallest Mammoth tree on the planet is named Hyperion, reaches a height of 115.61 m and could have grown further if woodpeckers had not damaged extreme point growth.

At the beginning of the 21st century, American scientists conducted research that found that trees on Earth cannot overcome the growth height of 130 meters. This is due physical processes on the planet, such as friction and gravity. These processes occur between the bark of the wood and the liquid that comes out through holes in the bark.

National Park Sequoia National Park is located in the southern Sierra Nevada, California. The area of ​​the park is 1635 sq km. Established in 1890 for the purpose of protecting forest areas formed by redwood trees.

It is famous for the fact that on its territory there are the highest, giant trees redwoods. They got their name in honor of the Cherokee Indian leader Sequoia. The park has mountainous terrain, rising from an altitude of about 400 m above sea level in the foothills, to the summit of Mount Whitney, the highest in the contiguous 48 states, at 4,421.1 m.

The park with redwood trees is a unique exclusive of nature, in short. The first impression is as if you and everyone around you were shrunk using the invention of a crazy professor. After wandering through such a forest for several hours, you can very well imagine the ancient and mysterious eternal forest in which Tolkien’s Tom Bombadil lived.

The park is located quite high in the mountains, about 2000m above sea level:

The park's most popular tree is the General Sherman tree, which is located in the Giant Forest. Exactly this a big tree in the world, whose height is 81 meters, the diameter at the base is about 32 meters, and the age is about 3 thousand years. The Forest of Giants contains five of the ten largest trees in the world by timber volume. The forest is connected by the Generals Road to Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park, where another attraction of the park is located - the General Grant tree.

Tunnel Log is a small road tunnel cut right in the middle of a giant sequoia tree that has fallen onto the road.

Sequoia National Park is also famous for its caves, the number of which reaches up to 250. The length of one of them is 32 kilometers in length. The Crystal Cave is the second largest and the only one that is open to tourists. Sequoia National Park is attractive for its mountain landscapes, beautiful waterfalls and alpine meadows. The park is home to many species of animals, including moose, American black bear, white-tailed deer, coyote, and lynx.

Sequoias - these giant trees are represented by two species - the evergreen sequoia and the giant sequoia or mammoth tree. Their height reaches up to 100 meters and their diameter up to 10 meters. Redwoods are known for their age—the tree can live up to 4,000 years. The unique combination of age, size and weight of these trees makes them the largest living creatures on Earth today. And this is one of the few trees that has adapted to forest fires. The giant sequoia is second in life expectancy only to bristlecone pines, which are found in the arid Sierra Nevada mountains.

There are redwoods, and there are mammoth trees. Both are huge in size. They are easy to distinguish from each other. A mammoth tree looks like a huge sprouted log, standing upright:

Californian sequoia is slimmer and taller than its counterpart and its silhouette is more reminiscent of a spruce. In the photo there is a mammoth tree (on the left) and a redwood bush (in the depths on the right).

Comparative Facts About Mammoth Tree and California Redwood

Mammoth tree Californian sequoia

up to 94.5 meters Height up to 111.5 meters
up to 3200 years Tree age up to 2000 years
up to 1200 tons Weight up to 720 tons
up to 79 cm Bark thickness up to 30.5 cm
up to 2.4 meters Branch diameter up to 1.5 meters
up to 12 meters Base diameter up to 6.6 meters
only by seeds Reproduction by seeds or shoots
the size of oatmeal The size of the seed is the size of a tomato seed
ovoid Crown ellipsoidal
small, overlapping single needles, falling off in branches
each other, awl-shaped

A living redwood that has been knocked down will continue to try to grow using its shoots. If nothing prevents this, the shoots facing upward will turn into independent trees, and many groups of sequoia trees got their start in this way. A “cathedral” or family of trees is precisely the trees that have grown from the undead remains of the trunk of a fallen sequoia, and since they have grown around the perimeter of the former stump, they form a circle. Another way to survive is through the redwoods. Their growth is hampered chemicals, which is produced living tree. If a tree begins to die, or simply ends up in unfavorable conditions, for example, as a result of drought or forest fire, then the production of such substances decreases, and the influx is covered with green shoots. Finally, sequoia has traditional way propagation by seeds. About 20% of existing trees grew from seeds. The rest are the result of one or another method of vegetative propagation. If you connect these facts, you realize that some of these trees may represent a continuous sequence of growth of the same organism over 20 or 30 thousand years (or even more), reproducing itself vegetatively over and over again. Genetically, it will be the same tree that grew from a seed many centuries ago! Would it be correct to estimate the age of one of these trees based on the true age of the genetic material remaining unchanged? I don't know, but these amazing trees seem truly eternal.

Thick fogs are a daily occurrence on the coast where the Californian redwood lives, and it can be said that it not only grows lushly in such conditions, but literally needs these fogs. These hundred-meter giants receive moisture from there for their needles at the top, where the vascular system can no longer pump it. average temperature at 10-15°C, prevailing in this area, is also important for life cycle sequoia. These two conditions - temperature and humidity - are the limiters that determine the modern range of these amazing giants. But, if artificially planted, they can grow in a variety of places, such as Fresno (California), Waycross (Georgia), Florida and even Phoenix (Arizona). Although without coastal fogs and coolness, which feed them and at the same time inhibit the growth of competing species, such as pine, they will never reach their true size and stature.

Video of a tour of the park:

For those who saw a sequoia for the first time, it will seem like something magical, coming from a children's fairy tale. Scientific name - giant sequoiadendron (Sequoiadendron giganteum) or sequoia, but it also has another name - mammoth tree. It is truly insane in size, yes, and in appearance the branches of the tree are very similar to the tusks of a mammoth. The average diameter of a giant can reach up to 10 meters, and the height of some specimens exceeds 110 meters.

There seem to be enough redwood trees long history its existence on Earth, and similar forests of mammoth trees already existed during the time of dinosaurs. Then they grew all over the planet, and today their natural habitat is limited to a strip of the foggy coast of Northern California (hence the name - evergreen sequoia, or Californian - Sequoia sempervirens) and a site in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Average age giant sequoias It’s hard to say exactly, they suggest 3-4 thousand years, although some are 13 thousand years old!

After mammoth tree was discovered by Europeans, its name changed several times. Thus, the famous British botanist D. Lindley, who first spoke about this plant, called it Wellingtonia in honor of the Duke of Wellington, hero of the Battle of Waterloo. The Americans, in turn, proposed to name washingtonia(or Washington redwood), in honor of the first president D. Washington. But since the names Washingtonia and Wellingtonia had previously been assigned to other plants, in 1939 this species received the name Sequoiadendron.

Unusual facts:

A living redwood that has been felled will continue to try to grow using its shoots. If nothing prevents this, the shoots facing upward will turn into independent trees, and many groups of sequoia trees got their start in this way. A “cathedral” or family of trees is precisely the trees that grew from the undead remains of the trunk of a fallen sequoia, and since they grew along the perimeter of the former stump, they form a circle. If you analyze genetic material from the cells of these trees, you will find that it is the same in all of them and in the stump from which they grew.

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