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The Big Trees of California (1907), by Galen Clark

Botanical Nomenclature

The selection of a correct botanical name for the Big Trees has been a subject of much controversy among the best authorities, and still remains an open question. Since first discovered the species has received several different names from eminent botanists, the most noted ones being the following:

Wellingtonia Gigantea — Lindley, 1853
Sequoia Gigantea — Decaisne, 1854
Taxodium Washingtonianum — Winslow, 1854
Sequoia Wellingtonia — Seaman, 1855
Sequoia Washingtoniana — Winslow and Sudworth, 1898

A large majority of botanists now agree upon the name Sequoia Washingtoniana as being the correct one.

A near relative of the Sequoia Washingtoniana is the Sequoia Sempervirens, the Redwood of the Coast Range of mountains. This tree flourishes best in the moist atmosphere and fogs from the Pacific Ocean, while the Sequoia Washingtoniana prefers the pure exhilerating atmosphere of the high Sierras. The name Sequoia is supposed to be derived from Sequoia (or Sequoyah), a Cherokee Indian of mixed blood, who invented alphabet and written language for his tribe.

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