492 A HANDBOOK OF CONIFERS 



Var. pendula. 

 Main branches hanging almost parallel with the trunk. 



Var. pygmaea. 



Of dwarf, bushy habit. 



S. gigantea is distinguished from *S^. sempervirens by the 

 different shape and arrangement of its leaves and by its larger 

 cones. 



It inhabits the western slope of the Sierra Nevada from 

 Placer County to Tulare County, in an interrupted belt of about 

 250 miles, at altitudes of 4,300-8,000 ft., separated by other 

 conifers. It is restricted to groves of limited extent, the most 

 famous of these being the much- visited Calaveras grove, situated 

 near the northernmost limit of the species, where the mammoth 

 tree was discovered by John Bidwell in 1841. This grove contains 

 about 100 trees. It is here that most of the largest specimens 

 are found, and several of them bear the names of distinguished men. 

 Photographs of a number of these famous trees are to be seen 

 in Museum iii, at Kew, One fallen tree in this grove which has 

 been hollowed out by fire is so huge that a mounted horseman 

 may ride through it. 



Many fanciful and erroneous speculations have been made 

 as to the age of this species. Jepson, who has made a special 

 study of Californian trees, considers the average age of adult trees 

 to be from 400-1,500 years. Sudworth, who has also paid the 

 trees of this region a great deal of attention, says that it is safe 

 to assert that some of the largest trees are at least 4,000 years 

 old. A section of timber exhibited at Kew shows 1,335 annual 

 rings. S. gigantea has been described as the grandest of all trees 

 in the American forest, and the oldest living thing in the world. 



The wood is light, straight-grained, soft, more brittle than 

 redwood and rather more difficult to work ; heartwood red, sap- 

 wood white. The timber is very durable in contact with the 

 soil, and fallen logs have remained sound in the forest for centuries. 

 It is used for posts, farm buildings, shingles, vine stakes, and other 

 purposes, but is not in general use owing to the limited number 

 of trees available. Timber is produced quickly in Britain, but 

 that from ornamental trees is very soft. 



The best trees in California are found on moist land where the 

 annual rainfall is 45-60 inches, Jepson states that in this region 

 snow lies on the ground to a depth of 2-10 ft. for 3-6 months of 

 the year, and that the temperature often falls below zero. The 

 thick bark prevents serious injury by forest fires. When the 

 seeds fall upon a suitable seed- bed germination is good, but the 

 deep layer of fallen leaves and branches beneath the trees usually 

 prevents germination in the immediate neighbourhood of the 

 parent trees. It has been planted widely in Britain as an orna- 



