Wellingtonia

tree
Wellingtonia or Mammoth Tree grows on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. It was originally placed in the Taxodiaceae and, like Sequoia, now belongs to the Cupressaceae. There was a dispute about its name for Lindley wished to call it Wellingtonia while the American botanist Winslow wanted Washingtonia but this name had already been allocated to a palm tree. The generic name is thought to be based on the Cherokee word sequoyah. The common name in Britain is Wellingtonia. It was first introduced by the Scottish private collector, John D. Matthew, to Gourdiehill in Perth in August 1853 and a few months later to the Veitch Nurseries in Exeter by William Lobb. According to Alan Mitchell there is an original of Matthews collection at Glendoick planted in 1860. The tallest tree in Britain is one from the majestic avenue at Younger Botanic Garden; and the broadest tree is at Cluny near Aberfeldy. Sequoiadendron giganteum was the only large tree which withstood the hurricane in the south of England in 1987. The oldest recorded tree in the wild is 3,200 years old. John Muir of Dunbar will forever be remembered for setting up the National Park Service in North America and in so doing saved the giant redwoods..