The tallest trees in the world. Sequoias - the tallest trees in the world Hyperion is the tallest tree in the world and is in the top number one
The flora of our planet is very diverse and rich. It has hundreds of thousands of species of living organisms. The most common plants in our world are gymnosperms and angiosperms.
Some of the plants are truly amazing in size, both in height and in thickness. Their lifespan is hundreds of years and one can only imagine what they have seen in their lifetime. We have prepared for you a list that includes the largest and tallest trees in the world.
All ten of the largest and tallest trees grow in the United States, and they all belong to a single species - the evergreen sequoia.
These trees are conifers and are relatives of the common cypress. They grow in one place on the planet - on the Pacific coast of the United States. Sequoias are so amazing and huge that each of the record trees has its own name.
1: Hyperion
The height of this tree is 115.61 meters. It was discovered and measured in 2006, it turned out that this is the tallest plant on the planet. This sequoia also grows in Redwood Park, where exactly it grows is hidden from tourists. It is believed that the age of this giant is 700-800 years.
2: Helios
In second place is another giant, which belongs to the same species. The height of this sequoia is 114.58 meters, and the trunk has a diameter of 4.96 meters. Until 2006, Helios was considered the highest on the planet, but then a tree was found that is higher than it and it is it that is at the first number on our list. Helios is located in Redwood Park, California.
3: Icarus
This is another American sequoia that grows in the same area. The height of this tree is 113.14 meters, and the diameter of the trunk is 3.78 meters. This tree was discovered only in 2006. Its location is hidden from tourists.
4: Stratosphere Giant
Fourth place is occupied by the sequoia, which has a very appropriate name - the Giant of the Stratosphere. The height of this tree is 113.11 meters, and the diameter of the trunk is 5.18 meters. This plant is located in Humboldt Park.
5: National Geographic Society
In fifth place is the sequoia, which has a rather long name: the National Geographic Society. It is native to Redwood Creek. Until 1995, this sequoia was considered the tallest tree in the world. But at the moment, even larger giants have been found.
The height of this tree is 112.71 meters, and the diameter of the trunk is 4.39 meters.
6: Orion
This is an evergreen Sequoia (Sequoia sempervirene), which grows in Redwood Park, all in the same California. The height of the tree is 112.63 meters and the diameter of the trunk is 4.33 meters.
7: Lauralyn
8: Rockefeller
This is also a sequoia, which is located in the Humboldt National Park in the USA. Its height is 112.6 meters, and the exact diameter of the trunk, unfortunately, is unknown.
9: Paradox
Sequoia evergreen (Sequoia sempervirene). This plant is also located on the west coast of the United States, in the state of California. The height of this tree is 112.56 meters and the diameter is 3.9 meters.
10: Mendocino Tree
Sequoia evergreen (Sequoia sempervirene). This tree is located in California, USA.
The height of this giant is 112.20 meters, and the diameter is 4.19 meters. The exact location of this tree is hidden so that tourists do not harm it.
11: Baobab
We have described to you the tallest trees in the world, in this regard, the sequoia has no competitors. But, if we talk about plant giants, then it is worth mentioning the baobab. This is the thickest and most massive tree in the world. Baobabs grow in Africa, their height is small - about 18-25 meters, but the diameter of the trunk can reach 10 meters. It is very simple to explain such a strange appearance of this tree. The baobab has very porous wood and accumulates water in it during the rainy season. Then uses this stock during a drought. This tree has a huge crown, its diameter can reach forty meters. The wood of the tree is very loose and easily destroyed by fungal diseases. Huge hollows are obtained, which Africans use for their own purposes.
12: Banyan
Trees play an important role in human life - they can be a source of food, building material, energy and other necessary things, and they are also the "lungs" of our planet. For this reason, they are under close attention and protection of ecologists - this is especially true for the highest representatives of the plant world, because the age of each of them is at least several hundred years. Interestingly, the tallest tree in the world and its brethren belong to the sequoia species (Sequoia sempervirens) and grow in only one place in North America.
In ancient Greek mythology, the name Hyperion was borne by one of the titans, and the literal translation of the name means "very high"
The tallest tree at the moment is considered a sequoia named Hyperion. It grows in southern California in the Redwoods National Park, height - 115.61 m, trunk diameter - about 4.84 m, and the age is at least 800 years old. True, after the top of Hyperion was damaged by birds, he stopped growing, and may soon lose the title to his brothers.
Trees higher than Hyperion are known in history. So, the report of the Australian inspector of state forests in 1872 tells about a fallen and burned tree, it had more than 150 m in height. The tree belonged to the species Eucalyptus regnans, which means regal eucalyptus.
Almost all giant trees have their own names.
Until August 25, 2006, another representative of the redwood genus named Helios, which also grows in Redwoods, was considered the tallest tree on Earth. He lost his status after park officials discovered a tree named Hyperion on the opposite side of a tributary of the Redwood Creek, but there is hope that he can bring it back. Unlike its taller brother, Helios continues to grow, and a few years ago its height was 114.58 m.
The tree got its name in honor of the legendary mythical hero due to the fact that it grows at a slight slope.
Closes the top three is another sequoia from the same California Redwoods National Park named Icarus. It was discovered on July 1, 2006, the height of the specimen is 113.14 m, the diameter of the trunk is 3.78 m.
There are only 30 groves left in the world where sequoias grow. This is a rare species, and environmentalists are trying to support it - grow it specially in British Columbia (Canada) and carefully protect nature reserves with sequoias.
In ten years, the tree grows by almost 1 cm.
This sequoia was found in 2000 (location - California, Humboldt National Park) and for several years was considered the leader in height among all plants in the world, until foresters and researchers discovered Icarus, Helios and Hyperion. The giant of the Stratosphere also continues to grow - if in 2000 its height was 112.34 m, and in 2010 it was already 113.11 m.
The tree is named after the American Geographical Society
A representative of Sequoia sempervirens with such an original name also grows in California's Redwoods Park on the banks of the Redwood Creek River, its height is 112.71 m, trunk girth is 4.39 m. Until 1995, the National Geographic Society was considered the leader among giants, but today it occupies only fifth place in the ranking.
TOP 10 tallest trees in the world on video
The exact location of the trees discussed above is carefully hidden from the general public - scientists are worried that a large influx of tourists to these giants will provoke soil compaction and damage to the branched root system of the sequoia. This decision is correct, because the tallest trees on the planet are rare specimens of the plant world, therefore, they need protection and protection.
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People have lived next to trees throughout their history. The tree provides shade when it's hot, shelter from lies, wood for a fire, wood for bumga and much more. Therefore, trees have attracted the attention of people for a very long time. And the tallest tree in the world, respectively, attracts the most attention. This is what our post today will be about.
The flora of the Earth impresses with its diversity and magnificence. However, a special place is usually given to trees that have been growing on the planet since ancient times. A huge number of species, shapes, sizes and habitats. All this was the reason for the study of trees with special care. Among them there are real champions, in particular, in height. The tallest tree in the world is just such a record holder. It's time to get to know him better.
Most of the tall champion trees grow in America. First of all, these are sequoias, the location of which is usually kept secret. Among them there are young giants, as well as many centenarians.
Watch this wonderful video from the National Geographic channel to appreciate the power and height of these amazing trees:
The tallest trees in the world, sequoia coniferous trees, are distributed mainly in California, the famous American state. There are several contenders for the first place, but in 2006 the sequoia, called Hyperion, was recognized as the tallest tree in the world, with a height of more than 115 meters and a diameter of about eleven meters. Hyperion is about 800 years old.
Prior to the discovery of Hyperion, the sequoia Helios held the lead. Now this tree has moved to the second position. The following places are occupied by the sequoias Icarus and the Giant of the Stratosphere. It is possible that in the future, ecologists and naturalists will discover taller trees. Then the title of the tallest tree in the world will go to them.
What does the tallest tree in the world look like - a sequoia
The crown of this amazing representative of the plant world has a conical shape. Most branches grow horizontally, sometimes with a slight downward slope. Sequoia bark is very massive with a thickness of up to 30 cm, but at the same time soft and fibrous to the touch. When touched, an unusual sensation is created that the hand is immersed in it. The bark removed from the tree has a red-brown color, and darkens over time. With age, the appearance of the sequoia changes.
Until about a century old, it is a kind of pyramid of dark green color, densely covered with branches from top to bottom. Over time, the entire lower part of the tree thickens and becomes bare. The leaves of young sequoias are flat and elongated. Their length reaches 25 cm. The leaves of long-lived trees are scaly in the upper part, with arrows below. The cones of these giants are characterized by rather modest sizes - up to 25 cm long.
Sequoias also differ in solid age. For this they are called mammoth trees or "living fossils". Archaeologists have proven that in the pre-glacial period, the number of these trees was very large and dinosaurs walked under them. Their average life span can be up to four thousand years. The record holder in this regard is the sequoia with a lifespan of 4484 years, which was determined by the growth rings of a sawn tree. The main secret of sequoia longevity is a widely branched surface root system that captures vast areas in search of nutrients and water. In addition, the powerful bark of the tree contains chemical elements that repel pests.
However, the mammoth tree is not the oldest - the life expectancy of some varieties of pines and spruces is even longer. In particular, the age of the Canadian spruce growing in Sweden is approximately 9550 years old. This is the age of the ancient spruce, which was "reborn" in the form of a "clone".
The concept of the largest tree in the world includes not only height indicators. The volume of the trunk and branches is also taken into account. According to these parameters, the largest trees are sequoias, growing mainly in America. In particular, there is a similar giant in the California National Park and is called "General Sherman". This general is distinguished by a height of 84 meters and an age of about 2200 years. Meanwhile, the tree continues to grow.
Sequoias are the undisputed champions in size. However, other majestic plants are worthy of attention.
In the dense forests of Tasmania, the giant eucalyptus "Centurion" grows. Its height is 101 meters, it is the record holder among deciduous trees. Experts have established its approximate age - about 400 years. In the Guinness Book of Records, this eucalyptus is listed as the tallest tree in the world, but already from flowering trees.
Another champion, but already in terms of the thickness of the trunk, is the baobab (Adansonia digitata). The diameter of the trunk of a thirty-meter baobab can reach 9 meters. Only the European chestnut can compete with it. Since the nineteenth century, a representative of this species has been known, the trunk diameter of which is an incredible 20 meters.
The tallest trees in Russia
First of all, these are Siberian firs, growing up to a hundred meters. Their straight trunk is covered with a dense layer of branches growing directly from the ground. Also, Nordmann fir reaches high heights up to 80 meters. This tree is found in the Krasnodar Territory.
Norway spruce will grow up to sixty meters. There are giants among the forest beeches.
One of the tallest and most beautiful evergreen conifers is the Siberian cedar, reaching forty meters.
There is also a famous sequoia in our country - in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden near Yalta. It lags behind the California relatives and has a height of about thirty meters.
The tallest tree in the world - interesting facts
- The most giant sequoia trees on Earth have the unique ability to purify the air from carbon dioxide. Interestingly, this property is much more effective than other plants. Owners of sequoia plantations, for refusing to cut them down - for lost profits receive a certain compensation, which is called a carbon credit.
- Fire is not fatal to sequoia, whose bark does not ignite. Fire, on the contrary, prepares the nearby soil for the germination of young shoots, clearing it of other plants. Also, under the influence of heat, the cones quickly open, the seeds of which fall into the ground.
- Sequoia can grow well in almost any environment, but the process will be very slow and its height will not reach the height of its natural habitat.
As you can see, the tallest tree in the world also holds the record for other parameters. Well, we can only be glad that humanity has such wonderful neighbors in the plant world. Stay tuned and find out more!
There are a very large number of tall trees on Earth. Trees grow in different parts of the world, which are called the highest on the planet. In some cases, the dimensions are exaggerated, but there are also trees that amaze the imagination with their dimensions. With the advent of the latest height measurement tools, there is more reliable information about the true size of the largest trees in the world.
Thanks to modern technology, people have been able to measure the true height of these colossi of the plant world. Laser-based rangefinders, falling tape meters, etc. were used for the measurement. The researchers managed to form the ten tallest trees in the world, which are so huge that you can only take a “full-length” photo of them by rising to a certain height. Many of these giants continue to grow.
The tallest tree in the world
The location of many trees remains a secret, therefore, it is very difficult to find their photo. Despite the fact that Hyperion is the tallest tree in the world, its mass is far from the most impressive. According to this indicator, the colossal sequoia General Sherman is out of competition. Despite the relatively small height (83.8 m), the General has a record mass of 1.9 thousand tons with a barrel volume of phenomenal 1.5 thousand square meters. Scientists are sure that the sequoia General Sherman is at least 2.7 thousand years old.
Mendocino takes tenth position
Mendocino is one of America's largest trees.
A huge sequoia with a height of 112.2 m is located in the Montgomery Woods nature reserve in the United States. From 1996 to 2000 Mendocino was considered the tallest tree on the planet. Not far from the giant, there are a lot of sequoias, but, compared to Mendocino, they look like a kindergarten teacher surrounded by children.
Paradox is ninth on the list
Paradox, height 112.5 meters
A 112.5 m high tree located in a forest area owned by billionaire J. Rockefeller near the town of Humboldt (USA). The diameter of the Paradox trunk is 3.9 m, which is somewhat smaller than that of Mendocino (4.19 m). Sequoia was discovered by accident, the researchers who saw the tree for the first time were amazed by its beauty. Paradox rises majestically above the forest, under its dense crown a company of soldiers can hide in the shade.
Rockefeller - occupies the eighth position in the ranking
Rockefeller occupies the 8th position in the rating
Another giant tree associated with the famous billionaire. Rockefeller is a 112.6 m tall sequoia located relatively close to Paradox in the Humbold Redwood National Forest. The name in honor of the billionaire is symbolic - the tree is very old, like an entrepreneur respected in the USA.
Sequoia is distinguished by its height, slenderness and density of the crown. Those who were lucky enough to see Rockefeller remembered him for a lifetime. By the way, seeing a tree is not so easy - the coordinates of all the colossi of the plant world are classified: this is one of the most effective ways to protect them from vandals. If a person walks through the park, he simply will not understand that there is a giant in front of him. The thickness of the trunk of the famous sequoia is not much different from the surrounding counterparts.
Lauralyn - is in the seventh position of the top
Southern Giant Lauralyn
Sequoia with a romantic name and an impressive height of 112.62 m. This giant, like the previous one, "lives" in the American Humboldt National Park. The gigantic tree was found by biologists P. Zinke and E. Stragenburger. The researchers were amazed by the incredible beauty of the tree, which in fact is a complete ecological system. Starting from the roots and ending with the crown, Lauralin is the habitat of a wide variety of living creatures. Hares live at its foot, squirrels live in hollows on the middle floors, birds nest on the branches. In addition, the Lauralina ecosystem includes many varieties of lichens and insects.
This giant sequoia is not hidden from the public: visiting Humboldt Park, be sure to come to see the amazing tree.
Orion - a gigantic sequoia in sixth place
Orion - the height of the tree is 112.63 meters
In the heart of the Redwood National Reserve (California, USA) grows a giant sequoia called Orion. The height of this amazing creation of mother nature is 112.63 m. Orion carefully hid from prying eyes, it was very difficult to find him. The fact is that the giant is located next to two other huge sequoias: each of these trees is 2 times lower than Orion, but they are in no way inferior to it in thickness. You can see the huge difference between sequoias only from a considerable height. Orion is one of the oldest trees on earth, its age is 1.5 thousand years.
National Geographic Society - in fifth place
NGO. The height of the tree is 112.71 m.
A giant sequoia named after a United States NGO. The giant was discovered in the Redwood Creek valley in 1994. For a year, the tree was considered the tallest in the world. The exact coordinates of the gigantic plant are classified. The trunk diameter is 0.20 m larger than that of Mendocino.
Stratospheric giant is fourth on the list
The height of this giant was 113.11 m.
An impressive tree that looks like a huge skyscraper. The scientists who discovered this sequoia were amazed at its height: it seemed to the researchers that the tree touches the clouds with its branches. Hence the name of the vegetable colossus.
The stratospheric giant was found in 2000 in the Humboldt National Park - this nature reserve is famous for record-breaking sequoias.
At the time of discovery, the tree had a height of 112.34 m, but its growth continued. In 2010, scientists re-measured the height of the sequoia. It turned out that the Stratospheric Giant added in growth: its height was 113.11 m. The tree is surrounded by large brothers and you can only understand how huge it is from a height. The coordinates of the Stratospheric giant are hidden: this is how scientists try to protect the sequoia from vandalism.
Ikar took the third position in the ranking
Icarus reaches 113.4 meters
Finally, we got to the top three. The famous sequoia Icarus "rose" to the third step of the rating. The tree was found by researchers M. Taylor and K. Atkins, who wandered around California's Redwood Park for several days.
Biologists have noticed that the top of the sequoia is dry, as if it had burned out in the sun. Atkins remembered the Greek myth of Icarus, a young man who decided to fly to the sun, but was burned along the way. This is how the tree got its name.
However, almost any tree in Redwood Park can be called Icarus. Due to solar activity, many sequoias in the reserve have dead tops. Actually, from English "Redwood" is translated "Red Forest".
Finding Icarus on your own is problematic, and its coordinates are carefully classified.
Helios is the second in the rating list
Helios reaches 114.58 m.
In the summer of 2006, K. Atkins and M. Taylor undertook another research expedition in the Red Forest. Surprisingly, the researchers managed to find another giant sequoia. It was a tree with a height of 114.58 m. Shocked, Taylor and Atkins named the sequoia Helios in honor of the ancient Greek god of the Sun. This tree is only slightly inferior to the leader of our rating.
Hyperion is the tallest tree in the world and is in the top number one
Hyperion - the record holder among all the tallest trees on the planet
So, we got to the tallest tree in the world. This is a unique Hyperion sequoia that grows in the same Redwood Park. Surprisingly, the restless K. Atkins and M. Taylor discovered Hyperion. After measuring the tree, it became clear - this incredible giant is the world record holder. Hyperion's parameters are amazing:
- height - 115.61 m;
- trunk diameter - 5 m.
Scientists believe that the age of the colossus is 800 years.
Chris and Michael are sure that the Hyperion sequoia could have reached even higher heights, but the tree was attacked by woodpeckers. A huge number of birds settled in the branches of a giant plant, damaging the trunk. Despite the titanic power of the tree, the woodpeckers turned out to be stronger - the growth of the sequoia slowed down.
Video: the tallest sequoia tree from the cypress family
Sensation: despite the gigantic size of the tree, its leaves reach only 2 cm in length, and the root in the ground reaches only half a meter!
Sequoia is the tallest tree in the world
Readers have already understood that the tallest tree in the world is the sequoia. This breed is also called "mahogany". Douglas fir (another name is “pretty fir”, as well as Australian eucalyptus trees) could compete with these colossi. Unfortunately, the tallest representatives of these two species were destroyed.
Sequoia Hyperion could also go under the saw, but in the 70s. In the 20th century, the American authorities drew attention to the atrocities of lumberjacks in Redwood National Park and the felling of sequoias in this area was strictly prohibited. Black lumberjacks were subjected to harsh sanctions, fined and even put in jail.
The measures worked: in our time, a lot of gigantic sequoias grow in the Red Forest. At the last count of scientists, 100 trees grow in Redwood with a height of more than 100 meters. All these are sequoias, representatives of other species, unfortunately, do not overcome the hundred-meter mark.
Until the summer of 2006, the status of the tallest tree in the world was held by the Stratospheric Giant sequoia in Humboldt Park. This colossus is twice the size of the Statue of Liberty.
It seemed that the tree simply could not be higher, but biologists K. Atkins and M. Taylor proved that this is far from the case. Wandering through California's Redwood Park, they discovered a group of giant trees, among which was an incredible colossus that looked like a skyscraper. After measurements with laser equipment, it turned out that the found tree was almost a meter higher than the Stratospheric Giant. Moreover, the nearby "comrades" of the giant also exceeded the size of the previous record holder of the plant world.
The tallest tree in the world is called Hyperion. This colossus is almost 30 meters taller than London's Big Ben.
The measurement of Hyperion was carried out by environmentalist Steve Sillett, seconded to Redwood Park by the National University. Humboldt. Sillett, using climbing equipment, climbed to the top of the sequoia and lowered the tape from there. Television company NG recorded what was happening on film: the film can be viewed on the Internet. After measuring the tape, it turned out that the height of the tree is 115 meters.
Hyperion can be called a lucky tree. In the seventies of the last century, Redwood was an ordinary forest in which lumberjacks were operating with might and main. Giant pines fell one after another, they were sawn into fragments and taken away on large trucks. Hyperion was scheduled to be cut down, but about 2 weeks before the colossus was to be brought down, the US government declared Redwood a park of national importance.
The sawmills knew full well that Redwood was going to be recognized as a park, so they worked tirelessly with chainsaws. Sequoia wood is one of the most valuable in the woodworking industry, companies received hundreds of thousands of dollars for one sawn giant.
Trees, many of which were hundreds of years old, were destroyed on an industrial scale. People could well destroy one of the undoubted treasures of mankind - the redwood forest.
Unfortunately, hundreds and even thousands of trees were not so lucky as Hyperion. Currently, in the United States, redwood forests account for only 4% of all green areas.
Hyperion is young enough for a plant of its kind: this tree has not yet completed its growth. According to Sillett, the giant is no more than 800 years old (for comparison, the Orion sequoia has been on our planet for 1.5 thousand years).
Compared to human life, Hyperion is now 20 years old, in fact, this is a young tree. The rangers of Redwood Park kept the coordinates of the giant strictly classified. American scientists hope that the young tree will continue to grow, setting incredible new records.
In addition, hiking to Hyperion will certainly lead to the disruption of the Redwood Sequoia forest ecosystem. The tree itself will also suffer: for sure, among tourists there will be lovers to put a “commemorative” inscription on the tree or break off a piece of bark.
According to Sillett, redwoods are a kind of "movie stars", but they can't get away from the paparazzi like their human counterparts. History has already shown that the popularity of giant sequoias leads to sad consequences.
History of Giant Tree Measurements
It is impossible to tell if Hyperion is the tallest tree in the last 100-200 years. People began to be interested in this topic relatively recently and no data has been preserved. In addition, 96% of redwoods are destroyed by logging companies.
In 1872, William Ferguson, an official of the Australian State Forestry Inspectorate, informed the authorities about the discovery of a fallen Eucalyptus regnans (the royal eucalyptus, the closest relative of the familiar mountain ash). The tree was enormous. Arriving scientists measured and reported that the length of the eucalyptus is 132 meters.
After that, several more eucalyptus trees up to 140 meters high were found in Australia. Unfortunately, there is no way to confirm these data: gigantic trees were cut down by lumberjacks.
Eucalyptus wood turned out to be almost the only building material for Australian settlers.
Today, there are almost no eucalyptus trees left in Australia, but they are found in Tasmania. For example, the famous eucalyptus Centurion is 100 meters high. The uniqueness of the Centurion is that it is the highest deciduous tree on our planet. Eucalyptus was found in the fall of 2008 by the laser of an aircraft searching for dominant heights in the area.
Tree Height Limit
In 2001, the English scientist D. Amos published an article in one of the authoritative scientific publications on the maximum growth of trees. The researcher conducted a series of experiments which, according to him, convincingly prove that the maximum height of a tree is 130 meters. After this mark, the plant will not be able to deliver the nutrient composition obtained from the soil to the crown, its growth will stop.
Amos's theory has not yet found practical confirmation: there is not a single tree in the world 130 meters high.
We, the inhabitants of Eurasia, are unlikely to have been able to see trees more than 40-50 meters high in our native spaces. And if you managed to see a 60-meter pine tree, then it simply took your breath away from the grandeur. Now imagine that the height of the tallest tree in the world is over 115 meters! This is the height of a 40-story building or the height of three ordinary pine trees!
So, the topic of our article today is the tallest trees in the world.
The tallest tree in the world: sequoia
Oddly enough, the TOP 10 giant trees grow in one, relatively small area - along the Pacific coast in California. These are giant, belonging to the cypress family - Sequoia semprevirens.
In addition to size, the age of the sequoia is also impressive. So, based on the results of excavations, these plants already existed 208-144 million years ago, that is, in the Jurassic period. But if then sequoias were widespread in the northern hemisphere, now they huddle in a small limited area with a length of 450 km - from the Klamath Mountains (Southern Oregon) to the end of the Californian Sierra Nevada. The places where sequoias grow are part of the reserves: the Sequoia Biosphere Reserve and National Park, as well as the Humboldt-Redvus National Park. The oldest sequoias in existence today are 3,500 years old.
Before we know what is remarkable tallest tree in the world, let's dwell on the biological characteristics of the sequoia. The tallest trees on earth have a crown in the shape of a cone, and the bark on the trunks is extremely thick, up to 0.3 m. By the way, immediately after removal, the bark has a pleasant reddish color, darkening over time, from which another sequoia name comes from - “mahogany ". The root system of giants is not deep, but wide. In young trees, the leaves are flat, elongated, about 1.5-2.5 cm, and in old sequoias at the top, the crowns take the form of scales about 0.5-1 cm in length. Sequoia seeds are 1.5-3 cm long, ovoid, with two dozen spirally twisted scales. Seeds ripen 8-9 months, each fruit contains 3-7 seeds.
Tallest tree: 1st, Hyperion
Only one and a half dozen trees in the world managed to jump the bar of 110 meters, another fifty - the bar of 105 meters. Some giants succeeded others in the rank of record holder. At the moment, according to official data, The tallest tree in the world is the Hyperion sequoia.
The leader of our rating was discovered in 2006 by amateur naturalists Michael Taylor and Chris Atkins (by the way, it was they who found the other two tallest trees on earth) in Redwoods Park (California), in a tributary of Redwood Creek. The height of the tallest tree at that time was 115.5 m. Measurements of the current year, 2015, showed that the tree had grown by 16 cm. However, its growth was slowed down - this was facilitated by woodpeckers that damaged the top of the tree. Since the nearest competitor of the tallest tree on the planet is 114.58 cm tall and grows faster than Hyperion, over time, the tallest tree may give way to the palm.
Hyperion's trunk diameter is 4.84 meters at a height of one and a half meters from the ground. It is located in the depths of the national park, and its exact location was not disclosed to the public - so that tourists do not disturb the giant's ecosystem. The tallest tree in the world is about 750 years old, and the area of this sequoia is estimated at 502 "square".
Tallest tree: 2nd place, Helios
On the other side of the Redwood Creek tributary grows a tree, recognized in the summer of 2006 as the tallest tree on earth, but resting on the lava of the winners for a little more than two months. Now Helios - that's what they called this sequoia with a height of 114.58 m - is in second place in the ranking. Its trunk diameter is 4.96 m.
Unlike the leader, the location of Helios was not hidden from tourists, and everyone has the opportunity to admire it.
Tallest tree: 3rd place, Icarus
In 2006, in the same Redwoods park, near the same tributary of Redwood Creek in California, a sequoia Icarus was discovered with a height of 113.14 m. The diameter of the trunk of this tree was 3.78 meters.
Tallest Tree: 4th, Giant of the Stratosphere
For six whole years - from the moment it was discovered in 2000 until 2006 - the giant of the Stratosphere was considered the tallest tree on earth. It was discovered in Humboldt National Park in Rockefeller Forest. The first measurements showed a height of 112.34 meters. After 10 years, the sequoia grew to 113.11 meters. The exact location of the giant of the Stratosphere has not been disclosed.
Giant of the Stratosphere
In the Sequoia and Humboldt-Redvus national parks, there are still many giant sequoia Sequoia semprevirens, which literally breathe down the back of the leader's head. Some of them have long been considered the tallest trees on the planet - for example, Mendocino, the sequoia of the National Geographic Society.
However, not only sequoias can boast of large sizes. You have probably heard of the tall eucalyptus trees that grow in Australia. At the moment, the height of the highest eucalyptus is 101 meters. This is the regal Eucalyptus Centurion, discovered on the island of Tasmania in 2008. The diameter of the trunk of this tree is 40.5 cm, and the age is at least four hundred years. There are reports that these trees used to grow up to 155 m in height, but this has not been documented in any way.
Eucalyptus Centurion
In general, the height of the largest plants on the planet becomes smaller over time. The reason for this is human activity and the violation of ecosystems that are not able to "feed" the giants. Perhaps very soon, in the still not fully explored places of our planet, a new one will be found. Nevertheless, we have something to admire, something to keep and appreciate today.
Tatyana Kuzmenko, member of the editorial board of the Sobcorrespondent of the online publication "AtmWood. Wood-industrial bulletin"