Native to groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.
49 on the map, the #89 most common of 384 species.
Show Giant sequoia trees on the map
Giant sequoia specimens are the most massive trees on Earth.
The etymology of the genus name is in honor of Sequoyah (1767–1843), a polymath of the Cherokee Nation who was the inventor of the Cherokee syllabary.
Giant sequoias are in many ways adapted to forest fires. Their bark is unusually fire resistant, and their cones will normally open immediately after a fire.