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California Conifers |
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California has a remarkable array of conifers including some of the rarest and most unforgetable in North America and the World. A few of these species are presented below. |
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The Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is generally considered the "largest" living organism. The Giant Sequoia is found primarily in scattered groves in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of eastern California. The largest individual Giant Sequoia is the General Sherman tree. The General Sherman tree has a height of 250 feet and a diameter near the base of 24.75 feet. The total volume of the tree is 13,260 cubic feet. The trunk of the General Sherman tree weighs almost 1400 tons. By comparison this is equivalent to 15 adult blue whales or 10 train locomotives. Some would argue that its not really fair to call the Giant Sequoia the "largest living organism" for a couple of reasons. First most the mass of a tree is not living, consisting of dead cells. Secondly many plants reproduce vegetatively so that a grove of aspens or a field of goldenrods may actually be a single organism connected by underground roots. But no matter how you interpret "individual", the Giant Sequoia is a true magnificent sight. |
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The Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is the tallest tree in the world. The Mendocino Tree in the Montgomery Woods State Preserve of California is 336 feet tall. Not everyone agrees that the Redwood has the tallest tree. Some claim that there have historically been taller specimens of Douglas Fir and a few claims for eucalypts in Australia have been made. Sequoias can also be very old. Trees with estimated ages of over 2200 years are known. Redwoods form magnificent forests along the Pacific Coast of northern and central California. The scences in "Star Wars" on the "Moon of Endor" were actually filmed in one of these forests. |
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The oldest known trees, and perhaps the oldest living organisms, are Intermountain Bristlecone Pines (Pinus longaeva). Trees more than 4600 years old have been found in Inyo National Forest near Bishop, California. Intermountain Bristlecone Pine occurs at high elevations in the mountains of east-central California, Nevada, and Utah. The species occurs at very high elevations in the subalpine to timberline zones on exposed and dry rocky slopes and ridges. This species and the closely related Bristlecone Pine are so name because of the presence of a long, thin spine on each of the scales of the female cones. |
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Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata) is restricted to three populations along the California coast between San Francisco and Santa Barbara. The most famous population are the famous trees near Monterey, California. The species is found only along the coast. Although the restricted distribution of the species might have been a cause for concern, the species has been widely planted in reforestation projects around the world. |
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Monterey Pine is not the only rare and restricted tree found near Monterey California. In the same region lives Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa). Monterey Cypress lives on the exposed rocky headlands of the seacoast near Monterey and is restricted to just two groves of trees. The genus Cupressus contains a number of geographically restricted species in California, although the systematics of these species is not well understood. The species of Cupressus are recognized by their scale-like leaves and the large, round, woody female cones. |
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Coulter's Pine (Pinus coulteri) has the largest and heaviest pine cones in the world. The cones are 8 to 12 inches in length and weigh in at 4 to 5 pounds. Coulter's Pine is found in central and southern California on the slopes of the Southern California Coastal Mountain Ranges. |
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Although the usually definition of pines includes "needles in bundles of 2 or more", there is a pinyon pine species hat has but a single needle in a bundle, Single Leaf Pinyon Pine (Pinus monophylla). This species is found in Southern California, most of Nevada and into western Arizona. |
