Species
Three distinct species are called 'redwoods' in Britain. They are related but separate: each with its own character, habitat, and look.
Overview
Understanding the differences makes a visit to any redwood place much richer. Giant sequoia, coast redwood, and dawn redwood: here is what makes each one distinctive, how to identify them, and the names you'll encounter.
The largest tree by volume on Earth. A mature giant sequoia can hold enough wood to fill a house to the roof. Native to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California, typically at elevations of 1,500–2,500 metres.
In Britain, most giant sequoias were planted in the 1850s and 1860s, when the species was newly discovered and still causing a sensation. Many of those Victorian-era trees are still standing.
The world's tallest tree species. Coast redwoods in California regularly exceed 100 metres. Native to the fog belt along the Pacific coast.
Coast redwoods thrive in high humidity and high rainfall: conditions that parts of western Britain can match closely. They grow faster than giant sequoias in the UK, and regenerate from the base if cut.
The dawn redwood is deciduous (it loses its needles in winter) and was known only from fossils until 1941, when a living population was discovered in a remote valley in Sichuan, China.
Dawn redwoods in Britain are generally younger than the giant sequoias and coast redwoods (most were planted post-1950), but they grow quickly and are increasingly common.
Both have reddish, fibrous bark. Giant sequoia bark is generally thicker and more prominently ridged. Coast redwood bark is thinner and tends to have longer, parallel furrows. If in doubt, check the foliage: scale-like (giant sequoia) vs needle-like (coast redwood).
Both have flat, feathery foliage that can look similar in summer. Dawn redwood needles are arranged in opposite pairs; coast redwood needles alternate. Dawn redwood is also deciduous: if the tree is bare in winter, it's almost certainly dawn redwood.
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