Sequoia sempervirens Coastal Redwood

Coast Redwood is a palaeo-endemic in the North American flora, with a small native range restricted to a 450 mile strip of fogbelt coastland in northern California and a tiny part of southern Oregon. Several Californian trees are giants, over 300 feet (90 metres) in height, and an individual named Hyperion, which is 379 feet tall, is claimed to be the tallest tree in the world. Specimen trees in Britain rarely exceed 100 feet in height. It produces high quality timber and has undergone trials in forestry plots but it is not a significant forestry tree in Britain. Although Coast Redwood grows quickly in sheltered parts of south Wales where there is sufficient moisture, it is intolerant of frosts and prolonged cold conditions. Like Japanese Red Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) it will coppice and there are excellent examples of this in Park Woods, Gower and in the Japanese Garden near Rhyslyn in Afan Forest Park. It was introduced to Britain in 1843 and in West Glamorgan it is largely a tree of parks and estates. Notable specimens occur in Park Woods (Gower) Singleton Park (Swansea), Rheola and Penllergaer.