The world around us is amazing. Nature has some of the most fascinating and curious things. Among these are trees. Some trees are tiny. Others are so large that they almost seem to reach space. The giant sequoia is the fifth largest tree known to man.
The scientific name is Sequoiadendron giganteum, but is known as giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood, Sierran redwood, Wellingtonia, or, if you’re John Muir, Big Tree. One thing that is great is that the giant sequoia is the only living species of the Sequoiadendron genus. It belongs to the Cupressaceae family, the Pinales order, Pinopsida class, Pinophyta division, and Plantae kingdom.
One of the largest giant sequoia trees alive today is named Lincoln. It is 255.8 feet or 78 meters tall. The trunk has a girth of 98.3 feet at the ground, and the total volume is 44,471 feet cubed. You can find Lincoln in the Giant Forest grove in Sequoia National Park. The tallest and largest giant sequoia is also in the Giant Forest and is named General Sherman. It reaches heights of 274.9 feet or 83.8 meters, with a girth of 102.6 feet and a total volume of 52,508 feet cubed.
Just be careful and hurry to see these magnificent trees soon as they are considered endangered and the population is decreasing according to the IUCN Red List.
