CURIOUS TREES 175 



remained unused the upper third of the trunk and 

 all the branches. 



The trees vary in age from two to four thousand 

 years, though some authorities after examining the 

 annual rings of the stumps ascribe an even greater 

 age to some of the living giants. At any rate, we 

 must go back to the Age of Pericles or the time 

 of King Solomon to gain an idea of the period in 

 time when they were young. 



It is the sequoia, or, to be scientific, the Sequoia 

 gigantea, or the Sequoia W ashingtowana, which has 

 this extreme age and height. His redwood cousin, 

 the Sequoia sempervirens, can almost equal his size. 

 In appearance, both varieties are most impressive. 

 Their beautifully fluted trunks rise from a needle- 

 carpeted ground like immense cathedral columns. 

 Far above, their cedar-like foliage unites into an 

 airy green roof. If ever there were natural tem- 

 ples, it is in these groves. 



The sequoias, tall as they are, must yield on 

 mere size to the eucalypti of Australia. Travellers 

 all agree that these tremendous growths are quite 

 the tallest trees yet discovered. The eucalyptus 

 is said to be very rapid growing in its habits but is 

 not known to attain any remarkable age. 



Another tree of immense proportions is the ban- 

 yan or Indian fig, sometimes called the peepul-tree. 



