Its impressive growth, the beautiful reddish bark and the fine needles make the sequoia unique in the plant world. As extravagant as the huge plant appears in contrast to other trees, the species in which it occurs are just as differentiated on closer inspection.
The mountain sequoia stands out because of its reddish wood
The three sequoia species
Have you decided to have a sequoia in your garden? The choice is far from over, because the Sequoia genus comes in three different species:
- as a primeval sequoia
- as a coast redwood
- as Bermammoth
The primeval redwood
You may have encountered the primeval redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) in parks before. In contrast to its conspecifics, it "only" reaches a height of 40 meters and is often planted as an ornament in public gardens, among other things because of its easily malleable branches. The primeval sequoia comes from China, where it probably existed before the dinosaurs were alive. In the meantime, it has spread all over the world and has adapted best of all three species to the German climate. You can plant it outside after the first hibernation. Because it transforms large amounts of carbon dioxide, it represents an interesting future object for the economy. The fact that Metasequoia glyptostroboides sheds its needles in autumn is quite natural and should not worry you.
The coast redwood
In terms of growth height, the world record holder at 115.55 meters is currently a representative of the coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens). Impressing your neighbors and visitors with such an amazingly large plant is sure to appeal to you. However, the evergreen giant with its extensive root system is taking the place of other plants, so that a coast redwood would probably be the only plant on your property.
The Mountain Sequoia
The mountain sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) has beautiful reddish wood (also known as redwood) and dark green needles. Unlike the coast redwood, heavy needle shedding is natural in this species. It also shows less growth, but forms significantly thicker trunks. It is native to the snow-capped mountains of California, where it reaches a maximum height of 90 meters. In local areas, however, this is rarely to be expected due to the climatic conditions. Young trees form a pyramidal crown, which later changes to a conical shape.