Coast Redwood
Tallest trees on Earth (~115m), demonstrating scaling constraints in plants.
Tallest trees on Earth (~115m), demonstrating scaling constraints in plants. Trunk diameter must support weight and resist wind loads, scaling with height^2 to ^3. Maximum tree height is limited to ~130m by cavitation - air bubbles forming in xylem vessels under extreme negative pressure as water is pulled upward against gravity. Giant redwoods allocate <5% of biomass to photosynthetic leaves (vs. >90% in small herbs), making slow growth unavoidable at large sizes.
Notable Traits of Coast Redwood
- Height ~115m (tallest trees)
- Trunk diameter 7-8m at base
- ~130m height limit due to cavitation
- <5% biomass in photosynthetic leaves
- 380 feet maximum height
- Extreme example of vascular transport evolution
- Extremely slow growth
- Months-scale reorientation
- Thick fire-resistant bark
- Epicormic sprouting
- Root sprouting creates clonal rings
- Tallest trees on Earth
- Root system develops before height
- Can survive droughts and fires
Coast Redwood Appears in 4 Chapters
Tallest trees on Earth at 380 feet, demonstrating extreme vascular transport capabilities enabled by xylem and phloem evolution. Before vascular tissue existed 400+ million years ago, plants were limited to 2-3 inches.
Vascular Transport Limits →Among the slowest-growing trees, taking weeks to months to execute phototropic responses. Like oaks, redwoods represent the opposite end of the tropism speed spectrum from fast-growing species.
Slow Phototropic Response →Capable of epicormic sprouting from dormant buds beneath thick fire-resistant bark (up to 30cm). After fire or damage, regenerates from trunk buds. Also regenerates from root sprouts, creating fairy rings around fallen giants.
Dual Regeneration Strategies →A 3cm tall seedling already has a 15cm taproot - 5x the visible height. Trees grow down first, then up. After 50 years: 100m tall with 20m deep roots, impossible to knock over, surviving droughts that kill shallow-rooted competitors.
Root-First Architecture →