This is a list of the tallest known species of trees, as reflected by measurements of the tallest reliably-measured individual specimen. Although giant trees grow in both tropical and temperate regions, they are very restricted geographically and phylogenetically. All the known giant trees occur in mesic climates, and nearly all of them are found in three regions: western North America (from California to British Columbia), Southeast Asia (especially Borneo) and southeastern Australia (especially Tasmania).
The following are the tallest reliably-measured specimens from the top species. This table contains information on all species for which at least one specimen has been reliably measured at 80 meters (262 feet) or taller.
Species | Height | Tree name | Class | Location | Continent | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Meters | Feet | ||||||
Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) | 116.07 | 380.8 | Hyperion | Conifer | Redwood National Park, California, United States | Western North America | [1] [2] It reached 116.07 metres (380.8 ft) in 2019. [3] The second and sixth tallest trees, both redwoods, were also found at Redwood National Park in 2006 when Hyperion was found, and were named Helios 114.8 metres (377 ft), and Icarus 113.1 metres (371 ft) tall. [3] The coast redwoods Nugget 113.8 metres (373 ft), Stratosphere Giant 113.5 metres (372 ft), and Paradox 113.3 metres (372 ft) are the third, fourth, and fifth tallest trees. [4] Other coast redwoods rank up to at least the 10th tallest tree in the world. A list can be found at http://famousredwoods.com/ |
South Tibetan cypress (Cupressus austrotibetica) | 102.3 | 336 | unnamed | Conifer | Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, Tibet Autonomous Region, China | East Asia | [5] [6] [7] |
Mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) | 100.5 | 329.7 | Centurion | Flowering plant | Arve Valley, Tasmania | Southeastern Australia | [8] [9] [10] [11] |
Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) | 100.2 | 329 | Conifer | Redwood National Park, California, United States | Western North America | [12] [13] [14] | |
Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) | 99.5 | 326.4 | Doerner Fir | Conifer | Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon, United States | Western North America | [15] |
Yellow meranti (Richetia faguetiana) [note 1] | 97.58 | 320.1 | Menara | Flowering plant | Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia on Borneo island | Southeast Asia | [16] Believed to be tallest tree in Asia until 2023 discovery of 102.3 metres (336 ft) cypress in Tibet. [6] |
Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) | 96.3 | 316 | Conifer | Sequoia National Forest, California, United States | Western North America | [17] [18] | |
Southern blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) | 90.7 | 298 | Neeminah Loggerale Meena, or Mother and Daughter. | Flowering plant | Tasmania | Southeastern Australia | [19] [20] [21] |
Noble fir (Abies procera) | 89.9 | 295 | Conifer | Goat Marsh Research Natural Area, Washington, United States | Western North America | [22] [23] | |
Manna gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) | 89.0 | 292.0 | White Knight | Flowering plant | Evercreech Forest Reserve, Tasmania | Southeastern Australia | [24] [25] |
Dinizia excelsa | 88.5 | 290 | Flowering plant | Near the boundary of Amapá and Pará states, Brazil. | Central-Northeastern South America | [26] [27] [28] | |
Brown top stringbark (Eucalyptus obliqua) | 88.5 | 290 | Princess Picabella | Flowering plant | Tasmania | Southeastern Australia | [29] |
Alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) | 87.9 | 288 | Flowering plant | Tasmania | Southeastern Australia | [20] | |
Mengaris (Koompassia excelsa) | 85.76 | 281.4 | Pontiankak Putih Cantik | Flowering plant | Tawau Hills National Park, in Sabah on Borneo | Southeast Asia | [30] [31] |
Mountain grey gum (Eucalyptus cypellocarpa) | 85.0 | 278.9 | Flowering plant | Victoria | Southeastern Australia | [32] | |
Karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) | 85.00 | 278.9 | Stewart Karri | Flowering Plant | Western Australia | South Western Australia | (24) |
Shorea argentifolia | 84.85 | 278.4 | Flowering plant | Gaharu ridge of Tawau Hills National Park, Sabah on Borneo | Southeast Asia | [30] [31] | |
Shorea superba | 84.41 | 276.9 | Flowering plant | Gergassi Ridge of Tawau Hills National Park, Sabah on Borneo | Southeast Asia | [30] [31] | |
Shining gum (Eucalyptus nitens) | 84.3 | 277 | Flowering plant | O'Shannassy Catchment, Victoria | Southeastern Australia | [33] | |
Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides) | 84.1 | 276 | Conifer | North-central Taiwan | East Asia | [34] | |
Sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) | 83.45 | 273.8 | Conifer | near Yosemite National Park, California, United States. | Western North America | [35] | |
Abies chensiensis var. salouenensis | 83.4 | 274 | Conifer | Zayü County, Tibet Autonomous Region, China | East Asia | [36] | |
Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) | 83.34 | 273.4 | Conifer | Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California, United States. | Western North America | [37] | |
Hopea nutans | 82.82 | 271.7 | Flowering plant | Gaharu ridge of Tawau Hills National Park, Sabah on Borneo | Southeast Asia | [30] [31] | |
Shorea johorensis | 82.39 | 270.3 | Flowering plant | Coco-Park boundary of Tawau Hills National Park, Sabah on Borneo | Southeast Asia | [30] [31] | |
Shorea smithiana | 82.27 | 269.9 | Flowering plant | Coco-Park boundary of Tawau Hills National Park, Sabah on Borneo | Southeast Asia | [30] [31] | |
Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) | 81.77 | 268.3 | Phalanx | Conifer | in Myers Creek drainage of Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon, United States | Western North America | [38] |
Entandrophragma excelsum | 81.5 | 267 | Flowering plant | at Kilimanjaro, Tanzania | Eastern Africa | [39] | |
Sydney blue gum (Eucalyptus saligna) | 81.5 | 267 | Flowering plant | Woodbush State Forest, Limpopo, South Africa. The world's tallest planted tree. | Southern Africa (non native), but endemic to eastern Australia) | [40] [41] | |
Grand fir (Abies grandis) | 81.4 | 267 | Conifer | Glacier Peak Wilderness, Washington, United States. | Western North America | [42] [23] | |
Shorea gibbosa | 81.11 | 266.1 | Flowering plant | River Flats of Tawau Hills National Park, Sabah on Borneo | Southeast Asia | [30] [31] | |
Lawson cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) | 81.08 | 266.0 | Conifer | In Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California, United States | Western North America | [43] |
Two main opposing forces affect a tree's height; one pushes it upward while the other holds it down. By analyzing the interplay between these forces in coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), a team of biologists led by George Koch of Northern Arizona University calculated the theoretical maximum tree height or the point at which opposing forces balance out and a tree stops growing. This point lies somewhere between 122 and 130 m (400 and 426 feet). [44] On the one hand, the researchers found, trees in forests "desire" to grow as tall as possible to overtake neighboring trees and reach stronger sunlight. On the other hand, gravity makes it more and more difficult to haul water upwards from the roots to the canopy as the tree grows, and leaves thus become smaller near the top. They discovered that despite the moistness of the ground far below, the leaves at the treetops struggle to get enough water, so they are effectively living in a constant drought. The difficulty of getting water so far up into the sky is what ultimately constrains growth. [45] Other researchers have developed models of maximum height for Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) trees that yield similar estimates of 109–138 meters (357–452 feet), [46] a range that includes the height of the tallest reliably-measured historical (dead) specimen, a 126-meter tree. [46] [47] [48]
There are many historical and contemporary claims of superlative height for species beyond those listed in the table above. For example, several articles published in 1878 describe an Eucalyptus amygdalina exceeding 380 feet (120 m) and others nearing 420 feet (130 m) up to 500 feet (150 m), including the Nooksack Giant which was measured using a tape at 465 feet (142 m) after being cut down. [49] [50] [51]
The heights of the tallest trees in the world have been the subject of considerable dispute and much exaggeration. Modern verified measurements with laser rangefinders or with tape drop measurements made by tree climbers (such as those carried out by canopy researchers), have shown that some older tree height measurement methods are often unreliable, sometimes producing exaggerations of 5% to 15% or more above the real height. [52]
Pseudotsuga is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. Common names for species in the genus include Douglas fir, Douglas-fir, Douglas tree, Oregon pine and Bigcone spruce. Pseudotsuga menziesii is widespread in western North America and is an important source of timber. The number of species has long been debated, but two in western North America and two to four in eastern Asia are commonly acknowledged.
Sequoiadendron giganteum, also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood or Wellingtonia is a coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the most massive trees on Earth. They are native to the groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California but have been introduced, planted, and grown around the world.
General Sherman is a giant sequoia tree located at an elevation of 2,109 m (6,919 ft) above sea level in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, in the U.S. state of California. By volume, it is the largest known living single-stem tree on Earth.
Metasequoia glyptostroboides, the dawn redwood, is a fast-growing, endangered deciduous conifer. It is the sole living species of the genus Metasequoia, one of three genera in the subfamily Sequoioideae of the family Cupressaceae. It now survives in the wild only in wet lower slopes and montane river and stream valleys in the border region of Hubei and Hunan provinces and Chongqing municipality in south-central China, notably in Lichuan county in Hubei. Although the shortest of the redwoods, it can grow to 167 ft (51 m) in height.
The Stratosphere Giant was once considered the tallest tree in the world. It was discovered in July 2000 growing along Bull Creek in Humboldt Redwoods State Park by Chris Atkins, measuring 112.34 meters (368.6 ft) tall. The discovery was confirmed and made public in 2004, displacing the Mendocino Tree, another coast redwood, from the record books. The tree has continued to grow and measured 113.11 m (371.1 ft) in 2010 and 113.61 m (372.7 ft) in 2013. It is a specimen of the species Sequoia sempervirens, the Coast Redwood. The tree features three prominent burls on the southwestern side of its trunk and is surrounded by a large number of trees of almost equal size. In an effort to avoid damage to the tree's shallow roots by tourism, its exact location was never disclosed to the public.
Redwood Mountain Grove is the largest grove of giant sequoia trees on earth. It is located in Kings Canyon National Park and Giant Sequoia National Monument on the western slope of California's Sierra Nevada. The grove contains the world's tallest giant sequoia. The Hart Tree and Roosevelt Tree grow in the grove and are two of the 25 largest trees by volume in the world. The largest tree is the General Sherman Tree in the Giant Forest grove to the southeast.
Stephen C. Sillett is an American botanist specializing in old growth forest canopies. As the first scientist to enter the redwood forest canopy, he pioneered new methods for climbing, exploring, and studying tall trees. Sillett has climbed many of the world's tallest trees to study the plant and animal life residing in their crowns and is generally recognized as an authority on tall trees, especially redwoods.
Iluvatar is a redwood tree in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Northern California that has been confirmed to be at least 20.5 feet (6.2 m) in diameter at breast height, and 320 feet (98 m) in height. Measured by botanist Stephen C. Sillett, it is the world's third-largest coast redwood, the largest being Lost Monarch.
Del Norte Titan is a coast redwood tree in Del Norte County, Northern California, that was confirmed by measuring to be at least 23.7 feet (7.2 m) in diameter at breast height, and 307 feet (94 m) tall. Measured by botanist Stephen Sillett, it ranks as the world's fifth largest coast redwood. One source recognizes it as the largest based on a single-stem measurement. But the source's recognition pre-dates a 2014 discovery in the redwood parks that is larger. Lost Monarch in the same park, is actually larger with more wood volume than Del Norte Titan, if basal stems are included. The fourth largest coastal redwood is in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park called Iluvatar.
Michael W. Taylor is an American forester who is notable for being a leading discoverer of champion and tallest trees - most notably coast redwoods. In 2006, Taylor co-discovered the tallest known tree in the world, a coast redwood now named "Hyperion". He also discovered "Helios" and "Icarus", the 2nd and 3rd tallest.
Sequoia sempervirens is the sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae. Common names include coast redwood, coastal redwood and California redwood. It is an evergreen, long-lived, monoecious tree living 1,200–2,200 years or more. This species includes the tallest living trees on Earth, reaching up to 115.9 m (380.1 ft) in height and up to 8.9 m (29 ft) in diameter at breast height. These trees are also among the longest-living trees on Earth. Before commercial logging and clearing began by the 1850s, this massive tree occurred naturally in an estimated 810,000 ha along much of coastal California and the southwestern corner of coastal Oregon within the United States. Being the tallest tree species, with a small range and an extremely long lifespan, many redwoods are preserved in various state and national parks; many of the largest specimens have their own official names.
The Lindsay Creek Tree was a notably large coast redwood that grew in Fieldbrook, California, along the Lindsay Creek, which feeds into the Mad River. It was once thought to be the largest single-stem organism (tree) known to have existed historically due to erroneous article published in the Humboldt Times. In 2024, a second article was discovered that offered more accurate measurements of the tree. Although the tree was not as large as it was fabled to be, it would still likely rank within the top 5 largest coast redwoods alive today.
Centurion is the name given to a single Eucalyptus regnans tree growing in Southern Tasmania, Australia, and the world's tallest known Eucalyptus. The tree was first measured by climber-deployed tapeline at 99.6 metres (327 ft) tall in 2008, and was subsequently re-measured to be 100.5 metres (330 ft) tall by ground laser in 2018. This discovery places E. regnans as the fourth-tallest tree species in the world after the coast redwood, the Himalayan cypress, and the Shorea faguetiana, and taller than both the Sitka spruce and Coastal Douglas Fir. It was discovered in August 2008 by employees of Forestry Tasmania while analysing the data collected by LiDAR system used in mapping and assessment of state forest resources.
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii, commonly known as Coast Douglas-fir, Pacific Douglas-fir, Oregon pine, or Douglas spruce, is an evergreen conifer native to western North America from west-central British Columbia, Canada southward to central California, United States. In Oregon and Washington its range is continuous from the Cascades crest west to the Pacific Coast Ranges and Pacific Ocean. In California, it is found in the Klamath and California Coast Ranges as far south as the Santa Lucia Mountains with a small stand as far south as the Purisima Hills, Santa Barbara County. In the Sierra Nevada it ranges as far south as the Yosemite region. It occurs from near sea level along the coast to 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) in the California Mountains. Further inland, coast Douglas-fir is replaced by Rocky Mountain or interior Douglas-fir. Interior Douglas-fir intergrades with coast Douglas-fir in the Cascades of northern Washington and southern British Columbia.
Trees have a wide variety of sizes and shapes and growth habits. Specimens may grow as individual trunks, multitrunk masses, coppices, clonal colonies, or even more exotic tree complexes. Most champion tree programs focus finding and measuring the largest single-trunk example of each species. There are three basic parameters commonly measured to characterize the size of a single trunk tree: tree height measurement, tree girth measurement, and tree crown measurement. Foresters also perform tree volume measurements. A detailed guideline to these basic measurements is provided in The Tree Measuring Guidelines of the Eastern Native Tree Society by Will Blozan.
The Doerner Fir, also known as the Brummitt Fir, is a record-setting Coast Douglas-fir in Oregon, is one of the tallest known trees in the world which is not a redwood (Sequoioideae), at 327 feet (99.7 m).
The Lynn Valley Tree was one of the tallest known Coast Douglas-fir, at a measured height of 126.5 meters (415 ft). It was cut down by the Tremblay Brothers, at Argyle Road in 1902 on the property of Alfred John Nye in Lynn Valley, now part of metropolitan Vancouver, B.C. In 1912, Alfred Nye told historian Walter Mackay Draycott that the tree had first drawn his attention because of its vast columnar bole, and that it towered above the neighboring forest. After it was felled, Nye told Draycott he had measured its length at 125 meters (410 ft), with a remaining stump height of 1.52 meters where its diameter was 4.34 meters (14.2 ft) across the butt, and the bark was 13.5 inches (34 cm) thick. Since that time, in the lower valley where the tree grew, the entire old-growth forest has been logged, including a nearby 4.24 meters (13.9 ft) diameter fir tree that contained 1,280 rings, and another fir tree felled in the same valley that was said to have measured 107.3 m (352 ft) tall.
This tree also has a sign nearby proclaiming it to be 'the world's largest spruce'. The two tallest on record, 96.7 m and 96.4 m, are in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California
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