Sequoia sempervirens

The coast redwood or California redwood in the cypress or Cupressaceae family is an evergreen tree with a native range along the coast (up to 75 km inland) from southern Oregon to much of California (excluding its dry southern portion).

Redwoods are the tallest living trees on Earth, extending up to 115 m tall and 6 m in diameter. They can live to be up to 1,800 years old. Before commercial harvesting began in the 1850s, giant redwoods naturally covered over 8,500 square kilometers.

• Needle-like leaves are 15–20 mm long and flat, slender-pointed, dark green above with 2 stomata bands on the bottom; on young trees and vigorous shoots, leaves are shorter, wider and spreading. However, there is a full range of transition between the two extremes.
• Crown is narrowly conical; bark can be up to 30 cm thick, enabling it to withstand periodic ground fires.
• Seed cones are ovoid, 15–32 mm long, with 15–25 spirally arranged scales.
• The tree's chromosomes are hexaploid (sets of 6; humans are diploid (sets of 2)), unusual for conifers.