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Some Remarkable Conifers |
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This page contains information about some of the more remarkable species of conifers in North America. |
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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 is 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. Redwoods 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 widest tree in the world is a specimen of Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum). This tree is over 36 feet in diameter and 113 feet around. The tree is called the Tule Cypress and is located in Santa Maria del Tule in Oaxaca, Mexico. Some have argued that the "tree" actually represents a fusion of several trunks. Although you usually think of Bald Cypress as a denizen of the swamps of the southeastern United States, it grows well in drier areas as well and is commonly planted as an ornamental. Mexican populations (such as this one) are sometimes treated as a separate species, Taxodium mucronatum. |
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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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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 the scales of the female cones. |
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Although it may be difficult to think of pine trees producing anything edible, the seeds of several pine species are very tasty. The Pinyon Pine (Pinus edulis) from the western United States is one such species. The nuts can be eaten directly, made into candy, or become part of Pesto Sauce for your pasta. You can buy the European Pine Nuts (from a related species) or the genuine Pinyon Nuts. If you try to gather Pinyon Nuts yourself, be prepared to fight a battle with the wildlife to get to them first. There are several species of Pinyon Pines in North America and the systematics are still somewhat up in the air. |
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Although the red "berries" of the yews appear quite delicious, both the berries and the foliage are extremely poisonous. The cancer chemotherapy drug taxol is derived from the Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia) from the Pacific Northwest. |
