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Definition of giant sequoia
: an evergreen tree (Sequoiadendron giganteum) of the bald cypress family that grows on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and sometimes exceeds 270 feet (about 82 meters) in height
— called also big tree, sequoia
— see cone illustrationExamples of giant sequoia in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web Alder Creek, as the area is known, is the largest giant sequoia property that still remains in private hands.
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Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "World’s Largest Privately-Owned Giant Sequoia Grove Is for Sale," 23 Sep. 2019 San Antonio Conservation Society librarian Beth Standifird thinks the name was chosen because Euclid is a giant sequoia tree, which would fit with other nearby streets named after trees, such as Laurel, Myrtle and Poplar.
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San Antonio Express-News, "Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News," 3 Jan. 2015 That’s because giant sequoias are among the oldest living things on Earth.
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Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "Mariposa Grove, Yosemite’s haven for giant sequoias, restored and ready for visitors," 13 June 2018 Lee Cowan reports our Cover Story: Deep in one of California's few remaining old-growth forests sat an oddity, popular with tourists since the 1880s: a giant sequoia so giant a tunnel was carved in its trunk.
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CBS News, "Mapping the genome of redwoods," 1 July 2018 Correspondent Lee Cowan visits California's Big Basin Redwoods State Park to report on a movement to map the genome of the coast redwood tree and its relative, the giant sequoia, in order to restore old-growth forests.
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CBS News, "This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 1)," 26 June 2018 First protected by the National Park Service in 1864, the Grove has drawn over a million visitors annually seeking serenity in the surrounds of 500 mature giant sequoia trees, some as tall as 200 feet and as old as 1,800 years.
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Marie Salcido, Sunset, "Yosemite’s Giant Sequoias Are Back in Business," 22 Jan. 2018 The biggest tree on the register is a giant sequoia in Sequoia National Park in California.
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Ted Gregory, chicagotribune.com, "Just in time for Arbor Day, new preserve lays claim to Illinois' biggest tree," 27 Apr. 2018 By the end of the year, scientists hope to have mapped the complete genome of the coast redwood and of the giant sequoia, a close cousin that also is among the tallest trees in the world, some reaching hundreds of feet high.
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Scott Wilson, Washington Post, "As threats to California’s giant redwoods grow, the key to their salvation might be in their complex genetic code.," 7 Feb. 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'giant sequoia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for giant sequoia
The first known use of giant sequoia was in 1860
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