108 PRACTICAL COURSE IN BOTANY 
Puate 5.—Stem of a conifer, Sequoia gigantea, Mariposa Grove, California. The 
first branch, 6 feet in diameter, leaves the parent trunk 125 feet above the ground. 
The photographer sitting on one of the exposed roots affords a good standard for 
comparison. The tree is noted for its massive limbs. The smaller trees in the 
background show the characteristic mode of branching in trees of this class, 
