Giants of the Earth Tough and resilient, sequoias endure hardships that can kill other trees. Trees struck and hollowed by lightning, but still alive, are common in many groves. Throughout history, people have been fascinated by the big trees. Paiute and Shoshone Indians drank sequoia sap to tap the trees' majestic power. Sequoias were named in honor of Cherokee Indian Chief Sequoia, who invented a Native American alphabet.
Sequoias are among the largest living beings on earth.
While average mature sequoias are about 250 feet tall, and 15 feet in diameter, the tallest trees exceed 300 feet in height, and some specimens reach a diameter of 40 feet at the base. For all their huge size, the trees have humble beginnings. The egg shaped cones, which take two years to mature, are rarely more than three inches long, and they nurture incredibly tiny seeds-3,000 weigh no more than an ounce. Although native to California, giant sequoias have been planted worldwide because of their landscape appeal, their extremely rapid growth, and their unique wood properties. For thousands of years, lightning fires burned through the Sierra Nevada's forests every few years.