There are three genera of redwood trees, each with a single species. The native range of the coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is a narrow 450-mi (725-km) strip along the Pacific Ocean from central California to southern Oregon. The giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is restricted to about 75 groves scattered over a 260-mi (418-km) belt, nowhere more than 15 mi (24 km) wide, extending along the west slope of the Sierra Nevadas in central California. The third species, dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), was described first from a fossil and was presumed to be extinct. However, in 1946 live trees were discovered in a remote region of China. Since then, seeds have been brought to North America, and this species is now found in many communities as an ornamental planting. Unlike the coast redwoods and giant sequoias, dawn redwoods are deciduous.

Redwoods are named for the color of their heartwood and bark. The thick...