Herb: Big Tree


Latin name: Sequoiadendron giganteum


Synonyms: Sequoia gigantea, Sequoia washingtoniana, Sequoia wellingtonia, Taxodium washingtonium, Washingtonia californica, Wellingtonia gigantea


Family: Taxodiaceae (Redwood Family)



Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Tree

Height:
90 m
(295 feet)

Flowering:
March
to April

Scent:
Scented
Tree

Habitat of Big Tree:

Well-drained but moist soils with an annual precipitation of 110 - 155cm a year. Found on the west side of the Sierra Nevada between 1500 and 2500 metres.

Other uses of the herb:

Wood - coarse-grained, very light, soft, very durable, rather brittle. Used for shingle, construction, fence posts etc.

Propagation of Big Tree:

Seed - sow early spring in a cold frame in light shade. Seed can also be sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. Germination rates are usually very low, two months cold stratification might help. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Plants will require some protection from cold and spring frosts for their first year or two outdoors. If there are sufficient seeds, they can be sown in a lightly shaded outdoor bed in late March. Grow them on for two years in the seed bed before planting them out into their permanent positions in late autumn or early spring.

Cultivation of the herb:

Well-drained but moist soils with an annual precipitation of 110 - 155cm a year. Found on the west side of the Sierra Nevada between 1500 and 2500 metres.

Medicinal use of Big Tree:

None known

Known hazards of Sequoiadendron giganteum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.