Coast Redwood
Sequoia sempervirens
Cypress Family (Cupressaceae)
Native
Key Identifying Characteristics
Evergreen, tall conifer with reddish bark, down swept branches and dark green needles.
Similar To
Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). Giant Sequoia has larger cones, and scale-like, awl-shaped leaves.
Height / Size
Large trees growing from 60 to 380 feet and up to 45 feet wide.
Leaves or Needles
Coast Redwood has dimorphic leaves (two types). Foliar needles are about 1″ across and arrayed in a flat plane that tapers to a point with each year’s growth. New needles are lighter green. Upper side of leaf is dark green, underside shows two bluish white bands of stomata. Primary function of these leaves is photosynthesis, but they can also uptake water. Axial leaves are small, narrow, awl-shaped encircling the branch. These leaves uptake water.
Bark / Trunk
Thick, shaggy bark is red-brown with deep furrows. The fibrous, ridged bark is reddish brown in younger trees turning gray to brown in old trees. Coast Redwood is highly resiliant to high intensity fires and can resprout from its base or trunk.
Flower
Conifers do not have flowers. Coast Redwood releases pollen February to April.
Fruit / Seed / Cone
1 inch cones mature in first year.
Habitat
Foggy valleys with lots of moisture, coastal mountains, mixed-conifer forest.
Location / Range
Can be found in the parking area near the visitor center and on Brooks Creek trail. Native to the coastal fog belt from Monterey to southern Oregon.
Lifespan
Coast Redwood trees can live 800 to 2500 years.
Fascinating / Fun Facts
Tallest living tree in N. America and the world. “Hyperion” is a redwood tree in Humboldt County that is 380 ft. tall. An individual Eucalyptus ragnans in Australia is connsidered the second tallest. These tall trees have evolved to survive fire and floods. Resistant to rot, insects, fungal infection and fire.
Read More
Ethnobotany
To learn how the Ohlone used this plant, see: Native American Ethnobotany Database
Nature Talks:
Sources:
Calscape
PlantID.net for San Pedro Valley CP (NRDB.org)
Lanner, Ronald M. 1999; Conifers of California; Cachuma Press (1st. ed.); Los Olivos, California
VanderWerf, Barbara. 1994. Montara Mountain. Gum Tree Lane Books, El Granada, CA
Allshouse, Doug, and David Nelson. San Bruno Mountain. Heyday Books, 1 Nov. 2022. pg 80.