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Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Glaucum'

(Big Tree)

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Big Tree, Giant Sequoia

Description

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Family Cupressaceae

Trees or shrubs evergreen , monoecious or dioecious. Leaves decussate or in whorls of 3, scalelike and then often dimorphic with flattened facial leaves and keeled lateral leaves, or needlelike particularly in juvenile plants , often with an abaxial resin gland . Pollen cones terminal or axillary , solitary, maturing and shed annually; microsporophylls 6-16, decussate or whorled , each bearing (2 or) 3-6(-9) pollen sacs ; pollen wingless. Seed cones usually terminal, solitary, globose , ovoid , or oblong , dehiscent or indehiscent when mature in 1st or 2nd(or 3rd) year; cone scales developing after ovules originate in bract axils; bracts almost completely enveloped by cone scales, free only at apex; ovules 1-numerous per bract axil, erect ; cone scales of mature cones 3-16, flat or peltate, woody, leathery, or succulent, 1-20-seeded. Seeds winged or not; wings derived from seed coat . Cotyledons usually 2, rarely 3-6. Germination epigeal.

Nineteen genera and ca. 125 species: worldwide; eight genera (one introduced ) and 46 species (16 endemic, 13 introduced) in China.[1]

Genus Sequoiadendron

Trees giant, evergreen . Branchlets terete . Leaves alternate, radiating. Adult leaves mostly needlelike, triangular in cross section , somewhat divergent to strongly appressed ; abaxial glands absent. Pollen cones with 12--20 sporophylls, each sporophyll with 2--5 pollen sacs . Seed cones maturing and opening in 2 years, persistent to 20 years, oblong ; scales persistent, 25--45, valvate , ± peltate, thick and woody. Seeds 3--9 per scale, lenticular , subequally 2-winged; cotyledons (3--) 4(--6). x = 11.

Species 1: only in the flora .[2]

Physical Description

Habit: Evergreen .

Size/Age/Growth

Size: over 40' tall.

Biology

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Growth

Culture: Space over 40' apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 5.6 • Maximum pH: 7.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Notes

A tentatively accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Sequoiadendron

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 4 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

S. gigantea (Bigtree) · S. giganteum (Giant Sequoia) · S. giganteum 'Glaucum' (Big Tree) · S. giganteum 'Powder Blue' (Big Tree)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Liguo Fu, Yong-fu Yu, Robert P. Adams & Aljos Farjon "Cupressaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 62. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Frank D. Watson "Sequoiadendron". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/21/2012