California

Adopted in 1953.

California has designated two distinct species as its state tree.

See Redwood

The California redwood was designated the official State Tree of California by the State Legislature in 1937. Once common throughout the Northern Hemisphere, redwoods are found only on the Pacific Coast. Many groves and stands of the towering trees are preserved in state and national parks and forests.

Since its discovery in the mid-nineteenth century, giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), also called sequoia, bigtree, and Sierra redwood, has been noted for its enormous size and age, and its rugged, awe-inspiring beauty. Because the species has broad public appeal and a restricted natural range, most groves of giant sequoia have been accorded protected status. Outside its natural range, both in the United States and in many other countries, giant sequoia is highly regarded as an ornamental and shows promise as a major timber-producing species.

Leaf: Bluish-green; may be scale-like and appressed, or awl-like and spreading, depending on crown position.

Flower: Monoecious; males egg-shaped and very numerous in spring; females egg-shaped, yellowish.

Fruit: Oval, woody cone, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long, brown.

Twig: Tightly covered in awl-like or scale-like leaves, later turning reddish-brown with scaly bark as the leaves fall off.

Bark: Very thick (1 to 2 feet) on large trees, deeply furrowed with large rounded ridges, fibrous.

Form: A massive tree with thick heavy limbs, 250 to 300 feet tall, 10 to 15 feet in diameter.
 

Source:
Dendrology at Virginia Tech Dendrology at Virginia Tech
U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture