Redwoods have three subfamilies.  The Sequoias of California and Oregon and the Metasequioa of China. These are the largest and tallest trees in the world, living to be well over 1000 years old. The Chinese Metasequioa is a much smaller tree.

Western: California Redwoods like deep well-drained soils on flat lands and slopes in the coastal fog belt below 600 metres. Seeds sow in early spring in cold shade. Germination is very slow. Cones mature the following Fall containing seeds the size of a tomato seed. They can produce up to 10,000 seeds annually. But with very low germination, most trees grow more successfully from sprouts that form around the base of tree, using nutrients and the root systems of mature tree. When the “parent” tree dies, a new generation of tree rises, creating a circle of trees known as fairie rings. The trees are most often found in the 4-7,000 ft altitude range. They can withstand temps of -10 to 95 degrees. They flower during the wet and raining season of December and January. Fog plays a vital role in their survival. The treetop needles with tight spikes conserve moisture, while lower branches produce flat needles to catch light threw thick upper canopies. The trees have shallow root sytems that can extend over one hundred feet from the base of the tree, intertwining with roots of other redwoods. This root system increases their stability in strong winds and floods. Pollinated by the wind, the trees have both male and female flowers on single tree.

Eastern: Metasequoia is native to Sichaun-Hubei region in China (it is smaller than the California and Oregon Redwood trees that are typically at least 200 ft tall). The original Metasequoia tree, from which all other Chinese Redwoods are derived, is named “shui-sa or “water fir” and has a local shrine dedicated to it.