Hyperion is a coast redwood ('' Sequoia sempervirens'' D.Don, Endl.) tree in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, which is the world's tallest known living tree, measured at tall in 2019. Hyperion was discovered on August 25, 2006, by

naturalists Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor. The tree height of was verified by Stephen Sillett in 2006 using both a

laser range finder A laser rangefinder, also known as a laser telemeter or laser distance meter, is a rangefinder that uses a laser beam to determine the distance to an object. The most common form of laser rangefinder operates on the time of flight principle by ...

and a fiberglass tape to measure the tree from the base to the crown. The tree has grown since then to reach recorded in 2019. Hyperion was found in a remote area of

Redwood National Park The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one List of national parks of the United States, United States national park and three List of California state parks, California state parks located along the coast of northern Cali ...

, inside of the originally designated park boundaries of 1968. The park also houses the second-, fourth- and fifth-tallest known trees, coast redwoods named Helios, Icarus, and Daedalus, which respectively measured 377, 371 and 363 feet in 2022. The tree was named after the titan Hyperion from

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

. Hyperion is estimated to be between 600 and 800 years old and contain of wood. Redwood National Park REDW9343

The exact location of Hyperion is nominally secret but is available via internet search. However, in July 2022, the Redwood Park superintendent closed the entire area around the tree, citing "devastation of the

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

surrounding Hyperion" caused by visitors. Its base was trampled by the overuse and as a result

ferns The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

no longer grow around the tree. Measures to protect the Hyperion tree were officially implemented in 2022 when the National Park Service (NPS) closed public access to its location in Redwood National Park. Anyone who gets too close could face up to six months in jail and a $5,000 maximum fine.

References

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External links

National Geographic Video: "World's Tallest Tree Towers Over California"

M.D. Vaden.com: Information about the Hyperion Coast Redwood Tree

BBC Radio documentary
featuring Hyperion __NOTOC__ Individual coast redwood trees Redwood National and State Parks

See also

References

External links