Looking at the environment around us, at the beauty that nature gives, at the trees that seem huge to us, you involuntarily ask the question: how old are the trees that we meet every day on our way to work? But that tree that seems to be the largest among all is just a small bush compared to the largest big tree in the world. Not everyone has seen and knows that one tree that has incredible dimensions. So what's the best a big tree in the world?
Some historical facts
The name of the giant and only living creature of this size is sequoiadendron. Sequoia is also called sequoia for a reason. In appearance, this tree resembles a mammoth with its huge size, and the hanging branches look like its tusks. For the first time in history, mention of sequoia appeared in 1853. Most often, these trees were found in western California, on the slope of the Sierra Nevada. The giant sequoiadendron amazed the people of the Old World, and representatives of this plant were given the names of great people. Liar Lindley, the first known botanist, was the first to describe the sequoia and named it after the English Duke of Wellington, who became a hero at the Battle of Waterloo. The Americans, having discovered another representative of the sequoia family, gave him the name George Washington in honor of the first president of the United States of America. After which, in 1939, the family giant trees got its name - sequoiadendron, which is used to this day.
Giant of our time
The largest tree in the world, the sequoiadendron, is currently located in the place where it was first discovered: in California. Now a national park with the same name “Sequoia” has been created there on the mountain peaks of the Sierra Nevada. The largest tree in the world, whose name is General Sherman, is named after the commander and politician William Tecumseh Sherman. He gained his fame on Civil War 1861-1865. He was called a talented general, as he possessed tactics of attacking the enemy, which was beyond the control of anyone. The general is also notorious for his tactics called “scorched earth.”
Tree dimensions
The height of the largest tree in the world is more than eighty-three meters. The circumference of the trunk is twenty-four meters, and the crown is more than thirty-three.
The forest in which this giant grows is called the Giant Forest. In addition, other sequoias grow there, but much smaller in size. This forest was first discovered by explorer John Muir in the nineteenth century. It was he who gave it this name. Part national park, in which huge trees grow, is called the Giant Forest to this day.
Tourists who come to California specifically to see the largest tree in the world describe its bark as a red-orange stone, the top of which is impossible to see. When photographed next to the General Sherman tree, people look like tiny ants.
General Sherman's age
The question regarding the age of the legendary plant was controversial until recently. For a long time it was believed that the largest tree in the world is more than three thousand years old. But recently, experts, after conducting a series of studies, officially stated that the age of the legendary sequoiadendron is two and a half thousand years. It’s scary to imagine what this mighty tree could endure in order to grow to such stunning sizes. It is very difficult for a tree of this size to grow, and such giants die mainly not from old age, but because of the size of the branches, which are difficult for them to hold. The General Sherman tree also suffered losses in 2006. The largest and heaviest branch fell off, the diameter of which was two meters and the length was over thirty meters. When the branch fell, the fence and the road leading to the living attraction were destroyed. But even after such a loss, General Sherman’s tree did not cease to be considered the largest tree in the world.
In terms of size, General Sherman is the largest plant, but surprisingly not the oldest. The oldest tree is California pine, which was four and a half thousand years old. But unfortunately, it has not survived to this day, since it was cut down in 1965 unknown people. In the same year, trees were cut down that were as old as three thousand years. There is an opinion that there are still centenarians left on Earth, whose age is about five thousand years.
Tree growth
Even though the giant sequoiadendron is already huge, it continues to grow. Once a year, specialists take measurements, and it can be noted that the tree grows by one and a half centimeters every year.
In general, mature trees of the sequoiadendron species reach a height of one hundred meters, and a trunk diameter of up to twelve meters.
National Park and his workers made sure that all people could see the legendary giant and take a photo of the largest tree in the world. A special road has been built for people with disabilities, so they can see the tree as closely as possible.
There is also a tree tunnel in a national park in California that attracts a lot of attention from tourists. This tunnel is made from a redwood tree that fell in 1937. Since there was no way to move or remove the tree, employees were forced to create a tunnel leading into the park, since the fallen tree lay right at the entrance to the living attractions area.
In addition, the park has the Moro Rock peak, from which you can see incredible view for the entire "forest of giants".
But unfortunately, all the giants and long-livers of the national park may disappear from the face of the Earth. This threat is related to the climate in California. The drought, which has been going on for several years, threatens all plants, including the largest tree in the world - the sequoiadendron. No matter how powerful the redwood trees are, they cannot resist fires. Also, due to the dryness, new trees do not have the opportunity to appear. Park employees are trying in every way to maintain the favorable life of the legendary plants.
Trees - ancient inhabitants of our planet. They occupied a special place in the culture of every people and every country. Until now, they amaze with their scope and grandeur. The most powerful among them are sequoias and eucalyptus trees, whose height can reach over one hundred meters.
Until recently, eucalyptus trees were recognized as the tallest trees in the world, capable of surpassing the height of a 12-story building. Most of them grow in Australia and parts of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. They are notable for the fact that in the fall they do not shed their leaves, but are freed from the old, “last year’s” bark. Australian eucalyptus trees grew to heights that our trees never dreamed of. For example, the Centurion eucalyptus in Tasmania reached a height of 100 meters. True, its exact location is kept a big secret so that the surging crowds of tourists do not interfere with its natural ecosystem.
Now the sequoias hold the first place in height. These are trees from the cypress family that live for more than two thousand years. That is, these are not only the tallest trees, but also the oldest in the world. Surely you have heard about the material “mahogany”. So, this is a sequoia.
The highest representative of this world is currently registered in North America on the Pacific coast.
Sequoia "Hyperion", 115 meters high, is the tallest living tree. Its approximate age is 800 years. There are also sequoias a little lower: “Helios” (114.7 meters) and “Hyperion” (115.8 meters).
— The name “sequoia” is given in honor of Sequoia, the leader of the Indian tribe. He is famous for inventing the Cherokee alphabet.
Tallest tree on the world map
36° 34′ 51″ N, 118° 45′ 3″ W Hyperion is a specimen of evergreen sequoia growing in Redwood National Park.
Various studies show that today the tallest trees are conifers. Record holders usually come from the genus of eucalyptus, sequoia or other members of the Cypress family. While not all corners of the world have been thoroughly studied, there is a possibility that new technologies will help make new botanical discoveries. For example, plants that are now considered the tallest in the world were discovered between 2006 and 2008. For a long time
The location of the giants was kept secret so that the flow of curious naturalists would not harm the ecosystem of the place where the giants grow.
Tallest tree in the world Today, the tallest tree in the world is the Hyperion sequoia, which grows in California. The trunk of this plant has a diameter of 4.85 meters. The tree has grown 115.5 meters in height and covers an area of 502 square meters ancient greek mythology. The exact coordinates of the giant, which could be entered into GPS, were not released to the public. It is known that the tree is in one of remote areas state reserve Redwood in the USA.
In the park where the giant tree is located, there are several other very tall sequoias. These include Helios, whose height is 114.5 meters. He bore the title of absolute giant among his fellows until a taller specimen was found. By the way, this happened just a few months later in the same area. Interestingly, in ancient Greek mythology, Hyperion is the father of Helios. The trees grow close to each other. The trunk of Helios is thicker than that of Hyperion and is 4.96 meters. Given the available data, it turns out that the two tallest trees in the world are in the United States.
Record holders in Russia
The Siberian fir is recognized as the record holder for height in Russia. But in a country with the most large area forests, there is no official holder of the title of botanical giant. There are many giant fir specimens in Siberian forests. The height of representatives of this family can reach 100 meters. There is no doubt that somewhere in the depths of the Siberian taiga rises a giant, not inferior to the American Hyperion. By the way, speaking of sequoias, an impressive representative of this species grows in Crimea. In the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in Yalta there is a tree whose height is 38 meters. The age of the Crimean giant does not exceed two hundred years.
The peninsula is also home to some of the oldest trees in Russia. Yews and some types of junipers, according to preliminary estimates of researchers, took root in mountainous area Crimea no earlier than 2-3 thousand years ago. It is noteworthy that yews and junipers do not differ in height and large trunk diameter. They fit compactly into rock crevices, without fear of cliffs and steep mountain slopes. A height of 20 - 25 meters for such trees is evidence of an age of several thousand years. At least a dozen such trees have already been registered by volunteers in Crimea.
Widest tree
Baobab is a tree whose width exceeds that of all competitors. The trunk diameter of representatives of this species can reach ten meters. The most powerful fat man today is a tree, which is called only “ Big baobab" The girth of its base is 47 meters. The Big Baobab is located on the Van Heerden ranch in Limpopo province.
While landscaping the area, the owners noticed a cavity in the trunk of a huge tree, they cleaned it out and set up a bar in the resulting space. The Van Heerdens called their establishment “The Baobab Bar.” The diameter of the tree trunk is 10.6 meters. Research has shown that this baobab tree is more than 6 thousand years old, but the most interesting thing is that it continues to grow and bloom every spring.
Tallest tree in Africa
Speaking about baobabs, one cannot fail to mention that in their homeland there are also many giant trees. The tallest tree in Africa is on Mount Kilimanjaro. It comes from the genus Entandrophragm. The family of these plants settled in Tropical Africa and are not found anywhere else, this species is endangered. The highest entandrophragm on Mount Kilimanjaro reached 81.5 meters.
According to researchers, the tree is about 500 years old. Near the giant there are several more worthy representatives of their species. The group of trees on Mount Kilimanjaro was measured for four years, and in 2016 it was finally reported that average height entandrophragm in this area is 70-80 meters.
Record holders of the past
When talking about the tallest trees in the world, we cannot fail to mention the famous giants of the past. The most famous tree measured is the regal eucalyptus, found in Australia by forester William Fergusson. The man measured the tree and left notes about his discovery in 1872. According to Fergusson, the eucalyptus at the time of its discovery had a height of 132.5 meters, but according to indirect signs The forester concluded that previously the tree crown was 20 meters higher. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to verify this data. The eucalyptus was felled and sawn into pieces for later use as building material.
To others famous giant of the past is Douglas yew from the Lynn Valley in British Columbia. According to reports in 1902, the tree grew 126.5 meters in height. It was also cut down and used for firewood. The third dead tree, the record of which has already been broken by representatives of the same genus, is another Californian sequoia. In 1873, foresters reported the height of this tree to be 112 meters.
Australia's tallest tree at the beginning of the last decade was destroyed by fire. Eucalyptus, which received the name El Grande, was one of the most worthy inhabitants of the forest in the south of the island of Tasmania. At the time of death, the tree was more than 79 meters high. In 2008, a tree was found in the same area, which is now considered the main giant of Australia. The regal eucalyptus, 99.6 meters high, received roman name Centurion.
City giants
It is unlikely that anyone would be surprised by the fact that the tallest and oldest trees are hidden from people in the thicket of the forest, nature reserve or in the mountains. In cities, giant plants simply cannot survive. In every locality there is a giant of its own, but the parameters of such plants are usually more modest than those of their wild-growing counterparts.
The Moscow champion in height among trees is the most beautiful magnolia kobus, which grows on the territory of the Botanical Garden next to the Moscow City complex. According to gardeners, this particular plant is the tallest in the Russian capital. There are many relict trees on the territory of the botanical garden, which are listed in the Red Book. Most vegetation that is presented in this interesting place, you won’t see it anywhere else in Moscow.
The American Capital District also has a champion - a 32-meter white oak tree growing on Northampton Street. Interestingly, the giant is guarded by forces local residents, as a city asset. Volunteers take care of the tree’s crown, prevent acts of vandalism, and even organize tributes to the giant. The oak has a rival in Georgetown, namely the 29-meter lyran or tulip tree. A plant from the magnolia family received one of its names due to the shape of the flowers that appear on the branches at the end of May. In the USA the tree is also called "yellow poplar".
To the west of Canada's main city, in the tiny town of Arnprior, there grows a 47-meter Weymouth pine, which is considered an Ontario record holder. This tree is at least two hundred years old and is a local landmark.
In Japan, trees are not rated by height, but there is a champion there too. A huge wisteria, about 150 years old, grows in the Ashikaga Flower Park. During the flowering period, the plant attracts crowds of curious spectators who take photos and videos of the tree’s crown, which stretches over an area of two thousand square meters.
The oldest tree
Speaking of records, it is worth mentioning trees that survived world wars, drought, climate change and even some states. The tree with the oldest root system today is recognized as the spruce nicknamed Old Tikko. Researchers suggest that this plant has been living for nine and a half thousand years. Its trunk can be seen on Mount Fulufjellet in Sweden.
Spruce "Old Tikko" - the oldest tree in the world Another representative of antiquity is the intermountain bristlecone pine Methuselah. Its age is estimated to be between 4500-5000 years. Despite his advanced age and rather shabby appearance, the tree is considered alive. It is native to the Inyo National Forest in America.
The earth became suitable for life due to the oxygen released by flora. Trees are the “lungs” of the planet, which ones are the tallest? Until recently, the honorary title of the tallest tree in the world was borne by the sequoia, but the ranking changed due to the discovery of the giant baobab on the planet.
The tallest trees on the planet
Australia, America and Africa are the countries where the tallest trees grow on planet Earth. Among them are baobab, giant sequoia and impressive sized eucalyptus. Previously, there was a “Centurion”, it reached 189 m in height. Now there is a tree of the same name, but smaller in size. First representative flora of evergreen conifers, which was awarded the title of the tallest tree on earth - sequoia. The huge tree reaches a height of 115 m, the diameter of the trunk is 4.84 meters.
The age is 700 years, while its brothers live up to 4000 years. This tallest tree in the world is not the only one that deserves the title of record holder. Previously, Helios was considered the tallest specimen of the sequoia, but gave way after the discovery of Hyperion. He has every chance to catch up and overtake his competitor: the top of the Helios crown grows by 2 inches every year.
Tallest trees in the world
Evergreen sequoia It would have retained its status - the largest tree on the planet, if at the end of the last century biologists had not found the baobab, whose record height reaches 189 m. The tallest are:
- Sequoia Icarus with a height of 113.14 m, a diameter of 3.78 m. It received its name because of the red, dead top of the crown. Located in the Redwoods, a tributary of Redwood Creek, California.
- The Stratosphere Giant was discovered in 2000 in Humboldt Park and continues to grow. The tree has now reached 112.34 m. It grows in Humboldt, Rockefeller Forest, California.
- The National Geographic Sequoia was the tallest tree until 1995. Its height is 112.71 m and its diameter is 4.39 m. The huge tree is located in Redwood Creek, California.
- Sequoia Orion - height 112.63 meters, exact diameter 4.33 meters. Its homeland is California, USA; due to the favorable climate, almost all sequoias are located here.
- Lauralin tree (Humboldt, California) - height 112.62 m, diameter 4.54 m.
- Rockefeller is a Californian sequoia with a height of 112.60 m, the exact diameter has not yet been established.
- Paradoxically, the tree is located in Rockefeller Forest in northern California. The height of the crown reaches 112.56 m, the diameter is 3.9 m.
- Mendocino tree in Montgomery Woods. Considered first in the ranking tall trees in the period from 1996 to 2000 - 112.2 m, diameter 4.19 m. For a long time, the location was not made public for safety.
Deciduous
The biggest deciduous trees:
- Giant eucalyptus. It grows in the forests of Tasmania, inaccessible to people. Now is the time large tree on the planet of this species - Centurion - it reaches a height of 101 meters and is still growing.
- Fir. The height of the tree is up to 100 m, but there are few such specimens of coniferous trees in nature.
- Baobab is the most wide tree in diameter. This plant does not reach records in height, but it has no equal in width - up to 9 m.
In Russia
The country is rich in representatives mammoth trees:
- Sequoia in Yalta, in the Nikitinsky Botanical Garden, which, although far from the family of Californian record holders, continues to grow. Now its height reaches 38 m.
- Nordmann fir in the Krasnodar region. This tree with a straight trunk can grow up to 100 m.
- Norway spruce is common in Russia and the right conditions grows up to 60 m in height.
- Another huge tree is the Siberian cedar; such trees live up to 500 years and can grow up to 40 m.
The biggest stump
Huge trees leave behind equally large stumps with roots. A redwood tree in Muir Forest left behind a stump so large that it hosted a party with an orchestra and a dance floor. It is located north of San Francisco and claims to be the largest stump in the world, for which no competitors have been found.
Tree Hyperion
The largest tree in the world was discovered in 2006 by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor in Redwood National Park, California, USA. Height 115.61 m. Ancient sequoia Hyperion translated from ancient Greek means “very tall”, perhaps it was named after one of the titans. Data on the exact location of the giant is difficult to find. The location of the tree is kept secret from tourists to protect the ecosystem from negative influence their influx. Alas, but the most big sequoia in the world will no longer be able to grow upward due to injury to the top of the crown area and bark.
Video
Trees appeared on planet Earth long before the emergence of humanity, later people began to widely use wood in Everyday life for construction and other economic purposes. These representatives of the flora differ from each other in height, shape, habitat, and for many centuries they have not ceased to amaze with their diversity. It is possible that many have wondered what the tallest or largest tree in the world is called, then the information below will be interesting to the reader.
General characteristics of giant plants
Among the examples gigantic size Eucalyptus, sequoia and fir trees predominate; individual specimens can reach a height of several tens of meters. Growth is influenced by many factors, the main ones being: average temperature per year and its fluctuations, distance to the ocean and elevation of growth above sea level.
High record holder
The absolute winner in this category is the Hyperion tree - it grows in state park Redwood in California.
In 2015, the height of the tallest tree in the world was recorded at 115.61 m, after which it received the title of the tallest tree on Earth that is currently growing. Belongs to the genus Sequoia evergreen ( Sequoia sempervirens) of the Cypress family, the maximum age of whose representatives is up to 2000 years.
The record holder was discovered in August 2006, when 2 botanist naturalists, Michael Taylor and Chris Atkins, decided to take measurements from this sample. It turned out that its height then was 115.55 m, and in 2015 the diameter of the trunk at 1.4 m from the ground surface was 4.84 m. Experts estimate the volume of wood at 502 cubic meters, relative to age, figures are given in the range of 700-800 years.
Outwardly it looks strict and laconic - a conical crown and a slender trunk. The bark is thick, has a red-brown tint, and its width can vary up to 30 cm.
The management of the national park has decided not to publicize the exact location where this greatest attraction grows, out of fear that the busy flow of tourists from around the world could cause irreparable damage to the natural ecosystem surrounding Hyperion.
During a recent examination of the upper part of the trunk, specialists noticed damage caused by woodpeckers. Unfortunately, they do not allow Hyperion to grow further; growth can only continue in width, so other participants in the top ten tallest trees have every chance of soon overtaking the current winner of this category.
According to Wikipedia, there are now 15 modern trees over 110 m tall.
Huge giant
“General Sherman” is the name of the largest tree in the world, which is rightfully considered a representative of the giant sequoiadendron.
It grows in the American Sequoia grove in California and has the nomination “The largest in volume and mass that grows on Earth today.”
This is the heaviest living form of life, having truly colossal parameters, and the annual growth in width, according to experts, is 1.5 cm:
- height – 83.8 m;
- trunk circumference at ground level – 31.3 m;
- diameter at the base – 11.1 m;
- crown span (average value) – 32.5 m;
- total weight – 1910 tons;
- barrel weight – 1121 t;
- barrel volume – 1487 cubic meters;
- age - within 2300-2700 years (according to Wikipedia). However, there are a number of versions that prove that it is no more than 2000 years old.
Botanist James Wolverton in 1879 named this giant tree after William Tecumseh Sherman, the famous US general under whose leadership he served for several years. Later, in 1931, experts found that this particular specimen was considered the most powerful in the world.
The “Giant Forest”, where this title winner has grown for thousands of years, is today a popular tourist place, where you can take great pictures as a souvenir against the backdrop of a huge sequoia tree.
Researchers have found Interesting Facts, which say that a house with 6 rooms can be built from General Sherman wood, and the volume of oxygen it produces is almost 120 kg per year, which is enough for 3-4 people.
January 2006 for the huge trunk was marked by the loss of a large branch, the diameter of which was 2 m and the length was almost 30 m. When it fell, it damaged the enclosing fence and the road. None of the park employees saw the incident; it is believed that this is protection from unfavorable weather conditions. But even having lost this part, the tree still retains its title.
Giants in Russia
It is difficult to answer exactly which tree is the tallest in Russia, because the country does not have an official register of botanical winners. However, on the territory of the federation, forests occupy a significant part of the land, so almost every region or region has something to surprise in terms of flora record holders.
The highest representatives of the country
Fir - evergreen conifer tree of the Pine family, widely found in the taiga of Siberia, can reach a height of 60-100 m and a diameter of 1.5-2 m. It has a straight trunk and many branches, starting from the very base. Also included in the high category are Siberian cedars, which can be just under 40 m tall.
The Krasnodar region is famous for the Nordmann fir found here; individual representatives of this species can grow up to 80 m at favorable conditions environment.
In other areas, common spruces grow; some specimens are known with a height of about 60 m.
The pride of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, located in the city of Yalta, is considered to be the sequoia, which today has already grown to 38 m, but is much delayed in growth in comparison with its representatives of the same name in California.
Many gardeners and botanists consider the magnolia kobus, which is located on the territory of the Botanical Garden of the First Moscow State Medical University named after I.M. Sechenov, to be the tallest tree in Moscow. This is the only such representative of the species in the capital, which annually delights garden visitors with its flowering. Today his height is 6 m.
Maximum circumference
Not far from Lake Baikal in the area of the foothills of the Sayan Mountains there is a unique area where poplars with a trunk diameter of about 6 m are found. Since there is no official information about which thick tree in Russia, we can safely assume that the cedar growing here can lay claim to this title. It is more than 250 years old; measurements of its diameter showed 7.4 m.
What is the tallest tree in the world
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