Measuring 115.55 meters (379 feet) high, a redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) named Hyperion is the tallest tree in the world. Discovered in 2006 in the Redwood National Park in California, this giant probably aged nearly 800 years is raising 22 m (72 ft) above the famous Statue of Liberty! However, the title of the tallest tree ever measured goes to a eucalyptus (Eucalyptus regnans) found in 1872 in Australia. Although this is disputed by some experts, this giant was 132.6 m (435 ft) high. After a fire which make this tree fall to the ground, it seems it was easier to take measurements.

The introduction picture is showing a view of the General Sherman giant sequoia (photo : Jim Bahn).

On the other hand, it seems that the largest tree in the world is a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) called General Sherman, which grows in the Sequoia National Park in California. With a height of nearly 84 meters (275 feet) and a trunk base circumference of 31.3 m (102 ft), this tree has an estimated bole volume of 1 540 m3 (54,384 ft3) and a weight of about 1 910 metric tons (2,105 tons)! There would be enough wood in that tree to build 120 medium size houses! As the seed of a giant sequoia weighs an average of 4.7 milligrams, it must multiply its weight by 250 billion to give the adult tree! General Sherman would be aged at least 2300 years.

Finally, the tree that has the trunk with the largest circumference in the world is located in the town of Tule, near Oaxaca, Mexico. It is a Montezuma Cypress (Taxodium mucronatum) measuring 35.4 m (116 ft) high, with a trunk circumference of 42 m (138 ft)!