SEQUOIA 



gigantic forest trees, with trunks usuallj^ heavily but- 

 tressed at base, covered with thick, fibrous bark, deeply 

 and widely lobed; heartwood dark red, soft, durable, 

 straight-grained; sapwood very thin and nearly white: 

 Ivs. persistent, alternate, often dimorphic (especially on 

 young trees) : fls. naked, nioucE'cious, solitary, the stami- 

 nate terminal or axillary; stamens numerous: cones 

 maturing in one season. Once widely distributed in 

 several species throughout the interior of North America 

 and parts of Europe, but now limited to two species, 

 which are confined to the mountains of California. 



The wood of S. sempervirens at present forms the 

 bulk of the redwood lumber in the trade, and is used 

 on the Pacific coast wherever a light, durable, easily 

 worked material is desired. Most wooden buildings are 

 constructed with this lumber in California, and it is 

 sometimes exported to Europe to be employed as a sub- 

 stitute for red cedar in the manufacture of lead-pencils. 

 Logs with a curly grain are highly prized by cabinet- 

 makers, from whom they have received the name "curly 

 redwood." 



The wood of S. gigantea resembles that of S. semper- 

 I'irens, but is coarser-grained and lighter (in weight), 

 and is therefore not adapted to as wide use as the latter. 

 It is very durable in contact with the soil, however, and 

 is widely used for coarser construction work, ties, fence- 

 posts, vineyard stakes, shingles, and the like. 



As an ornamental subject, S. sempervirens will be 

 valuable wherever it is hardy. It is rather insistent 

 upon a cool, moist, foggy climate, however, and is in 

 this respect inferior to the other species, although a va- 

 riety known as iS. sempervirens, var. glauca, is reported 

 to be doing well in southern California. 



S. gigantea has been more widely planted in the East 

 and in Europe, and in sheltered locations has maintained 

 itself for a number of years. The most notable exam- 

 ples are those in the Ellwanger & Barry grounds, at 

 Rochester, N. Y., which are now about 40 yrs. old, 30 

 ft. high and 12 in. in diameter at base of trunks. When 

 seen in the winter of 1900-1, however, these trees were 

 beginning to show the effects of the rigorous climate by 

 their dead and dying tops. This species is far more 



SEQUOIA 



1659 



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2315. Senecio Petasitis (X J^). 



hardy than S. sempervirens, and even in the dry climate 

 of southern California is reported to be doing very well. 

 A weeping variety known as S. pendula is advertised, 

 which originated some years ago in European nurseries, 

 and is described as having "all pendulous branches, 

 closely pressed against the stem." Both species are said 



to dislike heavy soils, and to thrive best when planted in 

 deep sandy loam. Both are easily propagated from seed, 

 which sprout readily in a few weeks. 



2317. Senecio Douglasii (X M). 



A. Lvs. dimorphic, usually 2-ranTied: buds scaly. 



sempervirens, Endl. California Redwood. Fig. 

 2318. Tree, 200-400 ft. and more high, with a slightly 

 tapering trunk, 10-20 and sometimes 25 ft. in diam., and 

 often clear of branches for over 100 ft. : branchlets and 

 Ivs. distichously spreading, the latter persistent for two 

 or three years and sometimes dimorphic on the same 

 branch, the larger H-% in. long, the smaller scale-like: 

 cone oblong, %-l in. long, 3^ in. broad, and persistent 

 after opening and discharging the seed. Confined to 

 northern and central Coast Ranges of California on 

 slopes exposed to sea influences. S.S. 10:535. — When 

 cut, or from fallen stems, it throws up many vigorous 

 long-lived shoots, often producing merchantable trees. 

 AA. Lvs. seldom or not at all dimorphic, not S-ranked, 

 often imbricate: buds naked. 



gigantea, Decne. {S. Wellingtonia, Seemann). Cali- 

 fornia Big Tree. Fig. 2319. Tree, 200-350 ft. high, 

 with heavy massive trunks, sometimes 20-30 ft. in 

 diam. and often clear of branches for over 150 ft. : bark 

 of old trees from 1-2 ft. thick; branchlets hardly dis- 

 tichously arranged, pendulous, cord-like, forming rather 

 tangled masses: lvs. Ya to % in. and sometimes J^ in. 

 long on stout shoots, and usually closely appressed and 

 scale-like: cone ovate-oblong, 2-3 J^ in. long, 1-2M in. 

 thick, opening only slightly, retaining its original form 

 even when dry, and persistent. Western slopes of Sierra 

 Nevada. S.S. 10:536. Arnold V. Stubenrauch. 



Taxodium was the group in which Sequoia semper- 

 virens was at first placed by Lambert from the speci- 

 mens obtained by Menzies in 1795, and it remained 

 there until 1847, when Endlicher established Sequoia 

 for its reception. The type-species of Taxodium is T. 

 distichum, the deciduous cypress. Like nearly all tax- 

 ads, the deciduous cypress has a very ancient relation- 

 ship among fossil trees; it once grew on a large part of 

 western Europe and portions of England. Forms of 

 Sequoia, whose ancient history constitutes one of the 

 most interesting chapters in fossil botany, once grew in 

 immense forests in Europe, Asia and North America. 

 The first fossil remains occur in the lower chalk-forma- 

 tions and increase in extent to the tertiary strata, in 

 which they are numerous. In miocene times, fossil Se- 

 quoias extended "from the Hebrides to the Steppe of 

 Kirghis." Asa Gray and others have told the story of 

 the rise and fall of this great and strong family of coni- 

 fers, once as powerful as any tree-group in the world, 



