Coast redwood

Sequoia sempervirens is the tallest living organism on Earth and as endangered as the green turtle. This species grows in moist coastal areas of California which are regularly blanketed with fog rolling in from the Pacific. Although fast-growing in its native habitat, it still may take 400 years for a redwood to reach maturity, and it can live for 2,000 years or more. Redwood forests host a diverse and abundant understorey as well as a rich collection of species tens of metres up in the complex branch systems.