Sequoia sempervirens
species of plant in the monotypic genus Sequoia in the cypress family (Cupressaceae)
Sequoia sempervirens (), the coast redwood, is the sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family, Cupressaceae. Other common names include coastal redwood and California redwood. It is a coniferous, long-lived, monoecious tree that has reached ages of about 2,000 years. The species has produced the tallest living trees on Earth, reaching up to 116.22 m (381.3 ft) in height (without the roots) and up to 8.9 m (29 ft) in diameter at breast height. These trees are also among the longest-living trees on Earth.
Before commercial logging and clearing began by the 1850s, this massive tree occurred naturally in an estimated 810,000 ha (2,000,000 acres) along much of coastal California (excluding southern California where rainfall is not sufficient) and the southwestern corner of coastal Oregon within the United States. Being the tallest tree species, with a small range and an extremely long lifespan, many redwoods are preserved in various state and national parks; many of the largest specimens have their own official names.
Description
The coast redwood normally reaches a height of 60 to 100 m (200 to 330 ft), but can be more than 110 m (360 ft) in some cases, with a trunk diameter of 9 m (30 ft). Historically, the American naturalist, physician and founder member of the California Academy of Sciences, William P. Gibbons (1812–1897) described in 1893 the hollow shell of a coast redwood in the Oakland Hills of Alameda County with diameter of 9.9 metres (32 ft) at breast height. This tree's girth is rivalled by the "Fieldbrook Stump" of Humboldt County with a diameter of 9.8 metres (32 ft) at 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) from the ground.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Sequoia sempervirens” is species of plant in the monotypic genus Sequoia in the cypress family (Cupressaceae). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Sequoia, sempervirens and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of plant in the monotypic genus Sequoia in the cypress family (Cupressaceae)” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q150129. The Library of Congress control number is sh85112153. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1812, 1897 and 1893.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Sequoia sempervirens” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.