Redwood
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Alternate uses of redwood see Redwood (disambiguation)

Redwood is a name used for several species of trees; most commonly it specifies the two species of California redwoods. California redwoods are well known for being among the tallest trees in the world: trees of 60 to 90 meters (200 to 300 feet) are common. Some specimens are more than 2,000 years old.

The wood is resistant to fire and insects, and has been commonly used as a building material and for shingles and furniture (although it is very soft). Because these trees grow so slowly, lumbering has taken its toll and there has been a serious decline in numbers; many groves do not have enough young trees to maintain their population.

See each species for individual details:

• Family Cupressaceae (conifers)
  • Sequoia sempervirens - California Coast redwood
  • Sequoiadendron giganteum - California Giant sequoia or Sierra redwood
  • Metasequoia glyptostroboides - (Chinese) Dawn redwood

• Family Pinaceae (conifers)
  • The wood of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), is sometimes called 'redwood' in the timber trade.

• Family Fabaceae (broadleaf)
  • Caesalpinia sappan - East Indian redwood, or sapanwood tree (first called "brezel wood" in Europe)
  • Caesalpinia echinata - South American redwood, or brazilwood tree

The original article can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redwood.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.