A tree is a perennial plant that consists of roots that feed it, a solid trunk wrapped in bark and a crown (branches and leaves, different in shape and in their properties). They are divided into two types coniferous and deciduous. Both those and other people have learned to process and receive benefits from them for themselves.

But there are trees on which the human hand should never climb. These are the best of the best trees: the tallest, the largest, the heaviest, and so on.

sequoias

Not one tree, but a whole family can be safely attributed to the highest plants with a solid trunk. Four examples stand out in particular. All of them belong to the same tree species - these are sequoias. These breeds are conifers and mainly grow in North America along the ocean, as they need a lot of moisture.

Structure

In appearance, the breed is similar to other coniferous trees: the branches grow horizontally, the needles (needle-shaped leaves) are evergreen, they have cones, from which, when dried, seeds fall out and the life of new trees begins. The roots are not deep, but they are very powerful. After all, they have to keep upright and feed trees, the mass of which reaches 1000 tons. The bark is very thick, compared to other rocks, the thickness reaches 30 centimeters. Inside the tree is red, so it is used in the furniture industry. Although sequoia does not have other necessary qualities from mahogany (beautiful wood texture, ductility to processing).

The length of the trees listed above is more than 110 meters and differs only by a few meters. Work on measuring their growth was carried out by scientists who, using a laser, were able to determine the desired parameter only in 2006.

The tallest tree in the world

Until this moment, the book of records recorded the best representative called the giant of the stratosphere. Its length is 112 meters and 70 centimeters. And after laser measurements, it turned out that there are three more trees that are superior to those described above. The tallest tree is recognized as a specimen over 115 meters long called Hyperion. The second place was taken by a tree 114 meters 69 centimeters long called Helios. And the third was Icarus, he grew to 113 meters 14 centimeters. But in order to be given official status by the book of records, all trees must be measured with a special rope lowered from the top of the tree.

All these giants are located in the state of California. They are alive and continue to grow a year, adding an average of 25 centimeters. According to scientists, their opportunities for growth have not exhausted themselves. The critical length of the trees is located at around 130 meters above the ground. Then there will be problems with feeding the cells with water due to gravity. Although there are cases when trees were described, the dimensions of which reached 155 meters.

Information about such a tree came from the shores of the Australian continent back in the 19th century. It was a representative of marvelous trees - eucalyptus. But what happened to him later, and why the current representatives of this tree species do not reach such sizes, is not known now. That gives ground for further reflection and scientific research.

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Trees play an important role in human life - they can be a source of food, building material, energy and other necessary things, and they are also the "lungs" of our planet. For this reason, they are under the scrutiny and protection of environmentalists - especially the highest representatives flora, because each of them is at least several hundred years old. Interestingly, the tallest tree in the world and its brethren belong to the sequoia species (Sequoia sempervirens) and grow in only one place in North America.

IN ancient Greek mythology the name Hyperion was borne by one of the titans, and the literal translation of the name means "very high"

The tallest tree on this moment considered a sequoia named Hyperion. It grows in southern California in the Redwoods National Park, height - 115.61 m, trunk diameter - about 4.84 m, and the age is at least 800 years old. True, after the top of Hyperion was damaged by birds, he stopped growing, and may soon lose the title to his brothers.

Trees higher than Hyperion are known in history. So, the report of the Australian inspector of state forests in 1872 tells about a fallen and burned tree, it had more than 150 m in height. The tree belonged to the species Eucalyptus regnans, which means regal eucalyptus.

Almost all giant trees have their own names.

Until August 25, 2006, another representative of the redwood genus named Helios, which also grows in Redwoods, was considered the tallest tree on Earth. He lost his status after park officials discovered a tree named Hyperion on the opposite side of a tributary of the Redwood Creek, but there is hope that he can bring it back. Unlike its taller brother, Helios continues to grow, and a few years ago its height was 114.58 m.

The tree got its name in honor of the legendary mythical hero due to the fact that it grows at a slight slope.

Closes the top three is another sequoia from the same California Redwoods National Park named Icarus. It was discovered on July 1, 2006, the height of the specimen is 113.14 m, the diameter of the trunk is 3.78 m.

There are only 30 groves left in the world where sequoias grow. This rare view, and environmentalists are trying to support it - grow it specially in British Columbia (Canada) and carefully protect nature reserves with sequoias.

In ten years, the tree grows by almost 1 cm.

This sequoia was found in 2000 (location - California, national park Humboldt) and for several years was considered the leader in height among all plants in the world, until foresters and researchers discovered Icarus, Helios and Hyperion. The giant of the Stratosphere also continues to grow - if in 2000 its height was 112.34 m, and in 2010 it was already 113.11 m.

The tree is named after the American Geographical Society

A representative of Sequoia sempervirens with such an original name also grows in California's Redwoods Park on the banks of the Redwood Creek, its height is 112.71 m, trunk girth is 4.39 m. Until 1995, the National Geographic Society was considered the leader among giants, but today it occupies only fifth place in the ranking.

TOP 10 tallest trees in the world on video

The exact location of the trees discussed above is carefully hidden from the general public - scientists are worried that a large influx of tourists to these giants will provoke soil compaction and damage to the branched root system of the sequoia. This decision is correct, because the tallest trees on the planet are rare specimens of the plant world, therefore, they need protection and protection.

Various studies show that coniferous trees are the tallest today. Record holders usually come from the genus of eucalyptus, sequoia or other members of the Cypress family. While not all corners of the world have been thoroughly studied, it is likely that new technologies will help make new botanical discoveries.

For example, the plant, which is now considered the tallest in the world, was discovered between 2006 and 2008. For a long time, the location of the giants was kept secret so that the flow of curious naturalists would not harm the ecosystem of the place where the giants grow.

The tallest tree in the world

Today, the tallest tree in the world is the Hyperion sequoia, which grows in California. The trunk of this plant has a diameter of 4.85 meters. The tree has grown to 115.5 meters in height and covers an area of ​​502 square meters. Researchers believe that Hyperion took root in the 13th century, and estimate his age at seven to eight centuries. The tree got its name in honor of one of the titan gods in ancient Greek mythology. The exact coordinates of the giant, which could be entered into the GPS, were not released to the public. It is known that the tree is located in one of the remote areas state reserve Redwood in the USA.

In the park where the giant tree is located, there are also several very tall sequoia specimens. These include Helios, whose height is 114.5 meters. He held the title of absolute giant among his brethren until a taller specimen was found. By the way, this happened just a few months later in the same area. Interestingly, in ancient Greek mythology, Hyperion is the father of Helios. Trees grow close to each other. The trunk of Helios is thicker than that of Hyperion and is equal to 4.96 meters. Given the available data, it turns out that the two tallest trees in the world are in the USA.

Record holders in Russia

Siberian fir is recognized as the record holder for height in Russia. But in the country with the largest forest area, there is no official bearer of the title of botanical giant. There are many giant specimens of firs in the Siberian forests. The height of representatives of this family can reach 100 meters. There is no doubt that somewhere in the depths of the Siberian taiga a giant rises, not inferior to the American Hyperion. Speaking of sequoias, an impressive representative of this species grows in the Crimea. In the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in Yalta there is a tree whose height is 38 meters. The age of the Crimean giant does not exceed two hundred years.

The peninsula also has some of the oldest trees in Russia. Yews and some types of junipers, according to preliminary estimates of researchers, took root in the highlands of the Crimea no earlier than 2-3 thousand years ago. It is noteworthy that yews and junipers do not differ in height and large trunk diameter. They compactly fit into rocky crevices, not being afraid of cliffs and steep mountain slopes. A height equal to 20 - 25 meters for such trees is evidence of an age of several thousand years. Volunteers have already registered at least a dozen such trees in Crimea.

The widest tree

Baobab is a tree whose width exceeds that of all competitors. The diameter of the trunk in representatives of this species can reach ten meters. The most powerful fat man today is a tree, which is called nothing more than the "Big Baobab". The girth of its base is 47 meters. The "Big Baobab" is located at the Van Heerden ranch in the province of Limpopo.

Ennobling the territory, the owners noticed a cavity in the trunk huge tree, they cleaned it up and set up a bar in the resulting space. The Van Heerdens named their establishment The Baobab Bar. The diameter of the tree trunk is 10.6 meters. Studies have shown that the age of this baobab is more than 6 thousand years, but the most interesting thing is that it continues to grow and bloom every spring.

The tallest tree in Africa

Speaking of baobabs, it is impossible not to mention that in their homeland there are also many trees - giants. Most tall tree in Africa is located on Mount Kilimanjaro. It comes from the genus entandrophragms. The family of these plants settled in Tropical Africa and are not found anywhere else, this species is endangered. The highest entandrophragma on Mount Kilimanjaro reached 81.5 meters.

According to researchers, the tree is about 500 years old. Near the giant there are several more worthy representatives of their species. A group of trees on Mount Kilimanjaro was measured for four years, and in 2016, finally, information appeared that the average height of entandrophragms in this area is 70-80 meters.

Record holders of the past

Speaking of the tallest trees in the world, one cannot fail to mention the famous giants of the past. The most famous tree measured is the regal eucalyptus, found in Australia by forester William Fergusson. The man measured the tree and left notes about his find in 1872. According to Fergusson, at the time of its discovery, the eucalyptus had a height of 132.5 meters, but according to indirect evidence, the forester concluded that earlier the crown of the tree was 20 meters higher. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to verify this data. Eucalyptus was cut down and sawn into pieces for later use as building material.

Another famous giant of the past is the Douglas yew from the Lynn Valley in British Columbia. According to reports in 1902, the tree grew to 126.5 meters in height. It was also cut down and used for firewood. The third dead tree, the record of which has already been broken by representatives of the same genus, is another California sequoia. In 1873, foresters reported the height of this tree, which was 112 meters.

The tallest tree in Australia at the beginning of the last decade was destroyed by fire. Eucalyptus, which received the name El Grande, was one of the most worthy inhabitants of the forest in the south of Tasmania. At the time of death, the tree had a height of more than 79 meters. In 2008, a tree was found in the same area, which is now considered the main giant of Australia. The royal eucalyptus, 99.6 meters high, received Roman name Centurion.

urban giants

It is unlikely that anyone will be surprised by the fact that the tallest and oldest trees are hidden from people in the thicket of the forest, nature reserve or in the mountains. In cities, plants - giants simply cannot survive. In every locality there is a giant, but the parameters of such plants are usually more modest than those of their wild counterparts.

The Moscow champion in height among trees is the most beautiful magnolia kobus, which grows on the territory of the Botanical Garden next to the Moscow City complex. According to gardeners, it is this plant that is the tallest in the capital of Russia. There are many relict trees on the territory of the botanical garden, which are listed in the Red Book. Most of the vegetation, which is presented in this interesting place, you will not see anywhere else in Moscow.

The American metropolitan area also has a champion - a 32-meter white oak growing on Northampton Street. It is interesting that the giant is protected by the forces of local residents, as a city treasure. Volunteers take care of the crown of the tree, prevent acts of vandalism, and even celebrate the giant. The oak has a rival in Georgetown, namely the 29-meter lyran or tulip tree. A plant from the magnolia family received one of its names due to the shape of the flowers that appear on the branches at the end of May. In the US, the tree is also called "yellow poplar".

To the west of Canada's main city, in the tiny town of Arnprior, grows a 47-meter Weymouth pine, which is considered the record holder of Ontario. This tree is at least two hundred years old and is a local landmark.

In Japan, trees are not judged by height, but there is a champion there too. A huge wisteria that is about 150 years old grows in Ashikaga Flower Park. During the flowering period, the plant attracts crowds of curious spectators who take photos and videos of the crown of the tree, spread over an area of ​​​​2 thousand square meters.

The oldest tree

Speaking of records, it is worth mentioning the trees that have survived world wars, drought, climate change, and even some states. The tree with the oldest root system is today recognized as a spruce, nicknamed Old Tikko. Researchers suggest that this plant has been living for nine and a half thousand years. Its trunk can be seen on Mount Fulufjellet in Sweden.

Spruce "Old Tikko" - the oldest tree in the world

Another representative of antiquity is the spiny intermountain pine Methuselah. Its age is estimated to be between 4500-5000 years. Despite his advanced age and rather shabby appearance, the tree is considered alive. It grows in national forest Inyo in America.

The flora of our planet is very diverse and rich. It has hundreds of thousands of species of living organisms. The most common plants in our world are gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Some of the plants are truly amazing in size, both in height and in thickness. Their lifespan is hundreds of years and one can only imagine what they have seen in their lifetime. We have prepared for you a list that includes the largest and tallest trees in the world.

All ten of the largest and tallest trees grow in the United States, and they all belong to a single species - the evergreen sequoia.

These trees are conifers and are relatives of the common cypress. They grow in one place on the planet - on the Pacific coast of the United States. Sequoias are so amazing and huge that each of the record trees has its own name.

1: Hyperion

The height of this tree is 115.61 meters. It was discovered and measured in 2006, it turned out that this is the tallest plant on the planet. This sequoia also grows in Redwood Park, where exactly it grows is hidden from tourists. It is believed that the age of this giant is 700-800 years.

2: Helios

In second place is another giant, which belongs to the same species. The height of this sequoia is 114.58 meters, and the trunk has a diameter of 4.96 meters. Until 2006, Helios was considered the highest on the planet, but then a tree was found that is higher than it and it is it that is at the first number on our list. Helios is located in Redwood Park, California.

3: Icarus

This is another American sequoia that grows in the same area. The height of this tree is 113.14 meters, and the diameter of the trunk is 3.78 meters. This tree was discovered only in 2006. Its location is hidden from tourists.

4: Stratosphere Giant

Fourth place is occupied by the sequoia, which has a very appropriate name - the Giant of the Stratosphere. The height of this tree is 113.11 meters, and the diameter of the trunk is 5.18 meters. This plant is located in Humboldt Park.

5: National Geographic Society

In fifth place is the sequoia, which has a rather long name: the National Geographic Society. It is native to Redwood Creek. Until 1995, this sequoia was considered the tallest tree in the world. But at the moment, even larger giants have been found.

The height of this tree is 112.71 meters, and the diameter of the trunk is 4.39 meters.

6: Orion

This is an evergreen Sequoia (Sequoia sempervirene), which grows in Redwood Park, all in the same California. The height of the tree is 112.63 meters and the diameter of the trunk is 4.33 meters.

7: Lauralyn

8: Rockefeller

It is also a sequoia, which is located in national park Humboldt in the USA. Its height is 112.6 meters, and the exact diameter of the trunk, unfortunately, is unknown.

9: Paradox

Sequoia evergreen (Sequoia sempervirene). This plant is also located on the west coast of the United States, in the state of California. The height of this tree is 112.56 meters and the diameter is 3.9 meters.

10: Mendocino Tree

Sequoia evergreen (Sequoia sempervirene). This tree is located in California, USA.

The height of this giant is 112.20 meters, and the diameter is 4.19 meters. The exact location of this tree is hidden so that tourists do not harm it.

11: Baobab

We have described to you the tallest trees in the world, in this regard, the sequoia has no competitors. But, if we talk about plant giants, then it is worth mentioning the baobab. This is the thickest and most massive tree in the world. Baobabs grow in Africa, their height is small - about 18-25 meters, but the diameter of the trunk can reach 10 meters. It is very simple to explain such a strange appearance of this tree. The baobab has very porous wood and accumulates water in it during the rainy season. Then uses this stock during a drought. This tree has a huge crown, its diameter can reach forty meters. The wood of the tree is very loose and easily destroyed by fungal diseases. Huge hollows are obtained, which Africans use for their own purposes.

12: Banyan