Special Sub-Topic: Redwood Adaptations Click Here To Play: Redwood Adaptations

What is the scientific name of the coastal redwood?

Sequoia sempervirens. The Metasequoia glyptostroboides is the scientific name for the Dawn redwood, the Sequoiadendron giganteum is the scientific name for the Giant sequoia, and Giganteus sequoius is something I made up to be obnoxious. Ain't I a stinker?

What is the redwood tree's unique way of reproducing that causes a circle or 'fairy ring' of redwoods to grow?

roots. Pretty cool, huh? When a redwood dies, (of natural or not so natural causes) the roots grow into new trees, creating what is dubbed a fairy ring around the site of the original tree. Visit a redwood forest sometime and check out these beautiful natural cathedrals. Redwoods also reproduce in other ways. They have seed-bearing cones like other coniferous trees. (hence the name CONiferous) Also, they can reproduce through burl. Burl is a growth on the side of a redwood tree that holds all of the 'blueprints', if you will, for a new tree. Tourist shops will sell burl that need only be placed in water to sprout. So you can have your own little redwood tree. These trees won't last very long in the wrong climate, though, so buyer beware.

What is the name of the substance that redwood trees contain that benefits them in many ways?

tannin. Tannin is also found in other trees and plants and is useful in many ways to the trees and to us humans. It keeps the bugs and fungi away from redwoods and makes redwood very popular building material even though it isn't as strong as some other trees. The beautiful red coloring of tannic acid makes it a good dye, too. Oh yeah, it's also found in tea (in much, MUCH smaller amounts)

How many gallons of water can a redwood transpire (think perspire) in one day?

up to 500 gallons. Obviously this is subject to factors such as size of the tree, availability of water in the area, etc. Still, it's pretty amazing that a single tree is capable of 'sweating' so much water in one day, isn't it?

True or false: Redwood trees are native to the Midwestern United States and parts of Europe.

f. There is a single valley in central China that is home to a forest of Dawn redwoods. Coastal redwoods can be found in a narrow, broken strip from southern Oregon to Monterey County, California. Also in California, specifically on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada range in central California, are the Giant sequoias. There may be a few scattered redwoods elsewhere in the world, but certainly not in the Midwest of the United States (where the trees would find it impossible to survive) and in Europe.