Giant Sequoia

January 21, 2021January 22, 2021
Conifer, Flora and Fauna
by dhir

I first came to know of giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) a few years ago when I came across green cones with red sap beneath a reddish-barked tree in Victoria. This was at the beginning of my tree-learning obsession and since then I am always confident in my labelling of this particular species of tree, with it’s unique large egg-shaped cones and fluffy-looking branches. Similar looking cones can be found on California redwoods and yellow cedars, but giant sequoia cones are, well, giant compared to those trees’ cones.

Giant sequoias have awl-shaped leaves: The other conifers I have written about have scales (western redcedar) or needles (spruce, Douglas-fir, western hemlock), which can also be sharp, but awl-shaped leaves actually look sharp. (An awl is a tool with a sharp point used for punching holes or scoring.)

The awl-shaped bright-green leaves of the giant sequoia.

A brown cone, green cone, green twigs, and brown branchlet of a giant sequoia in Queen’s Park New Westminster. I read on a website that the green cones are photosynthetic and can stay on the tree for many years.

Four giant sequoia cones. The ones I collected measured about 5 cm long.

Close look at the wrinkled sides of a giant sequoia cone.

The bottom (?) of a giant sequoia cone. (The end stuck to the tree.)

The top (?) of a giant sequoia cone. (The end not stuck to the tree.) You can see some seeds peeking out.

The tiny 6-7 mm long double-winged seeds of a giant sequoia tree. When I took the cones out of the bag I was wondering where the oatmeal came from. Turns out they’re not rolled oats, but seeds.

In January, some of the smallest twigs had tiny cones on them. I’m not sure if these will be pollen cones (male) or seed cones (female).

The bark of mature giant sequoia trees looks like a cross between western redcedar and Douglas-fir bark. The branches are numerous and seem too skinny for such an imposing trunk.

Giant sequoia bark is thick and spongy, protecting mature trees from forest fires.

Like other species of tree, larger specimens have buttressing at the base and provides habitat for mosses and lichens.

The branches look oddly skinny and numerous, unlike many deciduous trees.

The base of a giant sequoia in Queen’s Park New Westminster.

This young giant sequoia has asymmetrical foliage, perhaps due to one side touching a deciduous tree and not receiving sunlight for much of the year.

Giant sequoias are not native to British Columbia, having been introduced from California. However, they are not invasive and are impressive to see in person. And, although not the tallest trees in North America, they grow to be the largest in volume. Learn more about giant sequoias here and here.

So, head outside this week, or any week, and look for this majestic tree. Use caution when checking out the foliage and twigs (sharp!), but the cones are so strangely satisfying to hold, you have to try it!

(The only book I referred to was Vancouver Tree Book (2016) by David Tracey.)