The coastal giant tree (Sequoia sempervirens) is an evergreen coniferous tree. It is the only kind of the monotypical kind Sequoia from the Unterfamilie of the giant trees (Sequoioideae) in the family of the (Cupressaceae). It is called also coast Sequoie. The designation frequently which can be found in the English linguistic area "„californian redwood "“is not clear, since relatives close the giant giant tree is likewise "„a California red wood "“. To the kind the highest living trees of the world belong. The Erstbeschreiber of the kind Sequoia, finite one, designated it probably after the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet, Sequoyah. The coastal giant tree is the state tree of the US Federal State California.

Description

Habitus and stature

Coastal giant trees can become high over 110 m and reach a master diameter (BHD) of over seven meters. The highest living copy is the Stratosphere Giant with 112.8 meters (conditions April 2004), it is thereby the highest well-known tree of the world. With adult copies in the existence are branch-free the trunks into approximately 30 meters height.

In the youth the trees train narrow, pyramid-shaped crowns with slim branches. Old trees have a compact, irregular, relatively small, but nevertheless slim crown; the branches are strong and horizontal.

Needles, branches, buds

The coastal giant tree trains two Blattformen.

The first form are 10 to 20 millimeters long, needle-shaped sheets, which spiral at Langtrieben or two-line at short shoots. These needles are dark-green, grey green at the lower surface at the top side and possess two Stomastreifen. They are flat in the cross section and resemble The needles become three to four years old, are thus evergreen. The gap openings sit on both sides of the needles. In the cross section three resin channels are to be recognized, from which one is directly under the guidance bundle and lies two close of the lower epidermis. The long needles arise particularly at shade impulses.

The second form are shed sheets, which spiral at Langtrieben. They are long approximately six millimeters, lie close to the branch and are gekielt unterseits. They arise particularly in the strongly besonnten top of the crown.

Recent branches are slim and dark green and have a round cross section. The buds are spherical and green. They consist of 10 to 12 egg-shaped bud sheds, which remain also after driving out at the basis of the branch.

Blooms, taps and seeds

The coastal giant tree is separate-sexually i.e., female and male taps is on the same Type seed production begins, if the trees are old 10 to 15 years. The taps appear in the winter (Decembers/January) and stand at the terminal end of the short shoots. The oblong, four to six millimeters long male taps are located also in shoulders of needles. Brakteen surround numerous with three polling bags each. The Pollen are 28 to 34 micrometers largely.

The female taps are elongated and green. They consist of 15 to 20 course-sharpened seed sheds, which are spiral arranged. The seed segment grew together with the Deckschuppe and carries three to seven Samenanlagen. The egg-shaped taps are 1.8 to 2.5 centimeters long, 1.2 centimeters broadly and hanging. They become ripe at the end of the same vegetation period. To tap-ripe colors itself yellowish green the tap, the Zapfenschuppen is easily raised. Mature taps remain at the tree and scatter the seeds. Each tap contains 50 to 60 seeds. Per tree and year up to five million seed are formed.

The seeds are 3.0 to 4.5 millimeters long, approximately 0.5 millimeters broadly and have a millimeter broad wings. The Tausendkorngewicht amounts to 3.8 to 4.4 gram. The seeds with the wind spread, however usually only 60 to 120 meters far of the nut/mother tree. Only approximately 20 per cent of the seeds are germable. This is interpreted as adjustment against Fressfeinde, which are to be deterred by laborious segregating of the edible from the empty seeds. X-ray examinations showed that 1 to 32 per cent of the seeds are healthy, 0 to 11 per cent are verpilzt and 58 to 97 per cent are hollow or with Tannin filled.

Wood and bark

The coastal giant tree ranks among the best utilizable woods. The reasons are the unusual dimensions, the durability, the branch purity and the technical characteristics. The whitish split pin is narrow and stands out clearly against the heartwood. This is light red to brownish red (sometimes violet). Of it the name frequently used in the wood trade is derived "„Redwood "“for the wood of the coastal giant tree. At the light the wood darkens after.

To recognize clearly the yearly ring borders as well as the change from early are to The wood contains no resin channels and consists to 90 per cent of Tracheiden. These are 2.9 to 9.3 millimeters long. The wood jets are to be recognized only with the magnifying glass.

The bark becomes thick up to 30 centimeters. It is grey-brown lengthwise cracked to brown and often deeply. It separates in long strips from the Type.

Knot

Of older trees knots (English "„burls "“) are characteristic, irregular, knollige, felled trees master excrescences close of the The emergence of these knots is clarified not completely, as causes becomes injuries like also bacteria (Agrobacterium tumefaciens) and mushrooms assumes. There are no references that the knots decrease the of the tree. Even small knots contain hundreds buds. One can solve and to driving out bring these from the trunk.

Roots

The coastal giant tree is a Flachwurzler with numerous strong roots, which cover a large surface closely under the run and. It Mykorrhiza symbioses formed, so e.g. with Glomus mosseae.

Vegetative Vermehrung

The kind forms frequently stick excursions and "„for root brood "“, and can so naturally taper itself. The stick excursions develop from sleeping eyes and form immediately their own root system. Old "„sticks "“are often surrounded by a ring by stick excursions. Also from a tree several new trees can come out by stick excursions. Also from mentioned the above "„burls "“form new rung.

Out "„root excursions "“"„white Redwoods "“can also come out, trees, which have no chlorophyll and completely by the nut/mother tree are supplied. It will rarely by means of three meters highly, can however 20 meters reach. This ability for vegetative Vermehrung is used also in forestry, by increasing the kind over Stecklinge.

Growth

The seeds do not germinate the Keimlinge have usually two and to form Wurzelhaare out. The are strongly centralgreen and are broader and longer than the small, spiral standing continuation sheets. The best germ substrate is mineral soil, how it is present after In addition, the seeds germinate on trunks and under the vegetation.

Youth growth is very rapid, one year's seedlings can 46 centimeters be high, four to ten-year trees has a yearly increase of 60 to 200 centimeters. The trees flower with 10 to 15 years for the first time, the highest production of seeds arise only with over trees. Largest elevator growth is reached with approximately 35 years. A grown-up copy is approximately 90 meters high. The highest well-known copy and at the same time the highest well-known living tree is, as mentioned above, the Stratosphere Giant with 112.8 meters. At present (2006) twelve copies are also well-known over 110 meters height. The coastal giant tree with the largest volume is Del Norte titanium in the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State park with a volume of 1044,7 cubic meters with a height of 93.6 meters.

The kind is selbstfertil, self descendant is however in its stature strength weaker.

An age of 600 years is not rarity. The highest age was determined by yearly ring counting with approximately 2,200 years.

Genetic investigations

The Chromosomenzahl amounts to 2n = 22, 44 or 66. There are thus diploide, tetraploide and hexaploide forms. The latters are autoallopolyploid (AAAABB). The Mitochondrien Genom is left paternal (over the father) (Neale et al. 1989), a characteristic under Koniferen.

Articles in category "Coastal giant tree"

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