A member of the pine family, Sequoia semper-virens, is the tallest tree in the Americas, attaining a height of 350 ft (107 m) and a diameter of 27 ft (8.2 m). Its present range is limited to a strip along the Pacific Coast, extending from southwest Oregon to south of San Francisco. The leaves are evergreen, sharply pointed, small, disposed in two vertical rows on short branches, and scalelike on the main stem. The cones are egg-shaped. The bark is a dull red-brown, on old trees sometimes 1 ft (0.3 m) thick, densely fibrous, and highly resistant to fire. The tree gets its common name from the color of the bark as well as that of the heartwood. The wood holds paint well and is used for bridge timbers, tanks, flumes, silos, posts, shingles, paneling, doors, caskets, furniture, siding, and many other building purposes. Pine |
