Giant Sequoia

giant sequoia tree

giant sequoia, (Sequoiadendron giganteum), also called Sierra redwood, coniferous evergreen tree of the cypress family (Cupressaceae), the largest of all trees in bulk and the most massive non-clonal organism by volume. The giant sequoia is the only species of the genus Sequoiadendron and is distinct from the coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), which are the tallest living trees. The trees are found in scattered groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevadas of California at elevations between 900 and 2,600 metres (3,000 and 8,500 feet). They were once reputed as the oldest living things, but the largest stumps were examined in tree-ring studies and were found to be less than 4,000 years old (bristlecone pines are older, as are a number of clonal trees).