Coast Redwood

The Redwood, Coast, Sequoia sempervirens, towers over all other trees in the world! It has a conical crown, pyramidal in form, with horizontal to slightly drooping branches. Blooming in the spring, Coast Redwood's blooms are very small and occur near the end of the shoot. Redwood leaves are mostly needle-like, they are flat and 1/2 inch long, stiff, sharp pointed and dark green. The bark is very thick, up to 12 inches and is quite soft and fibrous, with a bright red-brown when freshly exposed (hence the name 'redwood'). Giant Coast Redwoods can reach over 300 feet tall and over 20 to 100 feet across. This fast growing tree does well in full sun, partial shade, and it needs slightly alkaline to acidic soils. Coast Redwood is tolerant of flooding, and does its best growth along stream banks and flood plains. It provides food and habitat for birds and many small mammals.