The Coastal Redwood in Sydney Gardens is found opposite the Temple of Minerva on the central promenade. The Redwood is part of the same family of trees as the Giant Sequoia, which can be found in a group of ‘Exotics’ towards the railway line.
Some noticeable differences between the Coastal Redwood and Giant Sequioa are the Redwood grows taller; up to 120 m and is recognised as the tallest tree in the world. The Giant Sequoia generally grows around 91 m tall. Further the base of the Coastal Redwood is the same thickness as the trunk. Whereas the trunk of the Giant Sequoia is more cone like; thicker at the bottom and tapering upwards. Additionally, the bark of the Giant Sequoia is spongier and thicker around; 75 cm compared to the Redwood at 30 cm thick. Additionally, the cones of the Sequoia are 3 times the size of the Coastal Redwood.
In the USA the Coastal Redwoods grow prolifically on the west coast; California, and can take up to 400-500 years to reach maturity. Some of the oldest Coastal Redwoods have been recorded over 2,000 years old. The fibrous bark of the Coastal Redwood is chocolate brown in colour.
In the USA the Coastal Redwoods grow prolifically on the west coast; California, and can take up to 400-500 years to reach maturity. Some of the oldest Coastal Redwoods have been recorded over 2,000 years old. The fibrous bark of the Coastal Redwood is chocolate brown in colour.
The needle like leaf of the Coastal Redwood is relatively fine and flattened. They are symmetrically. arranged on the branches with opposing leaves connected to the same spot of the stem. The cones appear on the Coastal Redwood in the autumn and
considering the size of the tree are small, at around 2cm. The scales form a spiral pattern
around the cone. The cones bear few seeds.
Reference
Gazzard, G. A. MSc (2021) wrote the above article with information from the following sources.
Rose, B. BSc (Hons) MSc DipArb(RFS) MICFor RCArborA Chartered Arboriculturist Arboricultural Association Registered Consultant (2020). Bosky Trees, Arboricultural Impact Assessment & Tree Protection Plan for trees atSydney Gardens, Bath. (Accessed 13/03/21).
The Royal Forestry Society. Redwoods and Red Cedar, Quarterly Journal of Forestry. October 2016. Vol 110 No. 4. (Accessed 13/03/21). Available at:
https://www.rfs.org.uk/media/366122/redwoods.pdf
Wikipedia; Giant Sequoia, Sequoia sempervirens. (Accessed 13/03/21). Available at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_sempervirens
Szalay, J. (2017) Live Science Contributor. Live Science. Giant Sequoias and Redwoods, The largest and tallest trees. (Accessed 13/03/21). Available at:
https://www.livescience.com/39461-sequoias-redwood-trees.html