If you select the highest tree on the planet, thenThe palm tree of the championship will certainly receive a sequoia. It refers to coniferous species, sometimes it is also called "mahogany" according to the saturated color of the trunk. The height of the evergreen sequoias has always interested naturalists, because there are a lot of these trees on the planet, and finding the most-most was a matter of honor for the researchers.
Although this tree grows on our planetlong enough, its name, which we use today, it received only in the early 19 th century. It is believed that the etymology of this word comes from Sequoyah or Sequoia. That's the name of the Indian leader of the Cherokee tribe, who invented the syllabic alphabet for this nation.
Be that as it may, today this tree-giant evokes in everyone who saw it live, thrill and delight, and the height of sequoias evergreen is even included in the Guinness Book of Records.
Along the Pacific coast, in the statesCalifornia and Washington, as well as in the south of the Canadian state of the British province, most often there is a sequoia, where it has been growing for many, many years. Researchers found the remains of this tree in the ancient rocks that were formed in the Jurassic period. And this is neither more nor less than 208 million years before our era. It is believed that this tree came to us unchanged, exactly the same way it was millions of years ago. Therefore, it is attributed to relict species.
Until now, unfortunately, only twospecies - a sequoia evergreen and sequoia giant. In the people they are called still the Red and Mammoth tree. And earlier, as the researchers assure, there were much more species, and they grew around the globe.
Of course, the height of sequoia evergreen causesbig interest. But no less curious will learn more about some of the features of this giant. The bark of this tree is very thick, up to 30 centimeters. But despite this, it is soft enough, has a fibrous structure and it is relatively easy to separate from the trunk. True, after lying for a while in the air, the bark becomes a brownish shade. It is because of this sequoia is also called the red tree. Although the bark is soft, the trunk itself is very strong and dense.
What kind of tree sequoia is visually?It is a huge wide trunk, a dense crown of conical shape, and the branches grow either completely horizontally or fall down a little, like the paws of a spruce. Beautiful dark green leaves reach a length of 15-25 centimeters.
Sequoia is evergreen, the lump of which reaches15-22 centimeters in length, gives fertile fruit every year. At the end of winter pollination of seeds takes place, and then about 9 months they ripen. In each fruit there are 3-7 seeds about 3-4 mm in size. When the cone dries, the scales begin to open, and the seeds fall to the ground. If it gets into a favorable environment, new trees can grow from them. True, the chance for a new life is very insignificant. The thing is that the crown of a large tree so tightly covers the sun's rays that young shoots most often die from lack of good illumination.
So although the fruit of this tree every year is pretty much, most of them die and do not give offspring. Natural selection.
In America, the sequoia (where the bulk growsthis tree-giant) is very successfully used for industrial purposes. After all, its wood is not only that almost does not rot, it still has excellent fire-fighting qualities. It does not have bugs and parasites, it has a very elegant appearance after treatment. Therefore, the sequoia was massively used for human needs, which, of course, led to a significant reduction in the range of habitats. Today this tree is under human protection, its massive cutting and use of wood in production is prohibited.
What kind of sequoia tree is the tallest tree in the world?This question for a long time did not give peace to scientists, and after many years of measurements and research, they finally found the largest giant. It was the Stratospheric Giant, which is now growing in the Humboldt-Redwoods National Park. This sequoia has grown to a height of exactly 112 meters 83 centimeters. True, the last time it was measured more than ten years ago, in 2004. So it certainly had time to grow.
Prior to this, the maximum height of the sequoia is evergreenwas at a tree called the Giant Dyerville, which also grew in Humboldt-Redwoods. In 1991, after a bad weather, it fell, and when the distance from the base to the top was measured, the figure was as follows: 113 meters 40 centimeters. Age of the Giant Daierville was determined in 1600 years.
But they say that in modern history there was a treehigher! And they cut it down in 1812. His high-altitude record is 115 meters 80 centimeters. Biologists believe that the maximal growth of the sequoia can not exceed 130 meters, because the forces of gravity will not allow the juices to rise higher. True, so far no trees of this size have been found.
And yet, every traveler who has visitedthe shadow of this tree, fascinates with its unusual and some ancient static sequoia evergreen (height). Photos on the background of these giants are so popular with all travelers. Especially popular are pictures of tourists when they try to grab a relic tree trunk with a whole group, but sometimes they do not have enough hands. Yes, such a huge growth requires a solid foundation. The trunk in diameter of some trees reaches several meters. The largest sequoia reached 7 meters in diameter in diameter.
This is a real giant on our planet.Today on Earth grows about 15 trees, the height of which reaches more than 110 meters. Also scientists counted 47 sextoys, which stretched more than 105 meters.
In general, this giant tree is found inAmerica on the Pacific coast. Sometimes they grow near the coast, but mostly located within 30-750 meters above sea level. This tree loves good humidity, so in dry places it is doomed to destruction. Some seeds successfully climbed even higher, gave their shoots and the trees were well established there. In any case, there are redwoods that grow well at an altitude of 920 meters above sea level.
This unique giant is very beautiful andfascinates with its size. Therefore, many national nature reserves in Europe successfully plant this tree, which, with proper care, reaches a relatively large size and in the middle belt.
In Russia, a sequoia can be found in the Crimea andTranscaucasia. The warm climate of these territories makes it possible to grow relict trees to a very decent size. Of course, these redwoods are relatively young, they are no more than 200-250 years old. But there is a chance that if the climate does not change, it will continue to grow many, many centuries for the joy of others.
