Lost Monarch is a
coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') tree in
Northern California
Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...
that is in diameter at breast height (with multiple stems included), and in height. It is the world's fifth largest coast redwood in terms of wood volume (the
Del Norte Titan
Del Norte Titan is a coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') tree in Del Norte County, Northern California, that was confirmed by measuring to be at least in diameter at breast height (DBH, measured above soil grade), and tall. Measured by ...
was listed as the largest single-stem coast redwood tree, in part because the basal measurements of the Lost Monarch contain multiple stems).
[Earle,Christopher J.]
Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endlicher 1847
Gymnosperm Database, 2013, accessed July 2, 2013
Discovery and location
Lost Monarch was discovered on May 11, 1998, by
botanist
Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
Stephen C. Sillett, and
naturalist
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 ...
Michael Taylor, and is located among other giant redwoods called "The
Grove of Titans
The Grove of Titans is a redwood grove in Del Norte County, Northern California, with several massive coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') trees, some of the largest known redwoods in terms of wood volume. The largest coastal redwood tree in ...
" in
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, preserving old-growth Sequoia sempervirens, redwoods along the Smith River (California), Smith River. It is located along U.S. Route 199 approximately east of Cre ...
,
although its exact location has not been revealed to the public out of concern that excessive human foot traffic may upset the
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...
or lead to vandalism.
[Vaden, Mario D.]
Some redwoods are secret
2013, accessed July 2, 2013 The tree is estimated to contain of wood volume,
and is surrounded by other coastal redwoods known as some of the largest of the species. Of the surrounding redwood trees, some have names from the discoverers, such as El Viejo del Norte, Screaming Titans, Eärendil and Elwing, Stalagmight, and others.
Epiphytes
Lost Monarch supports and provides a habitat for
epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...
s including ''
Polypodium scouleri
''Polypodium scouleri'' is a species of fern known by the common names leathery polypody, Scouler's polypody, coast polypody and leather-leaf fern. It is native to coastal western North America from British Columbia to Guadalupe Island off Baja ...
''. One report from 2003 estimated that Lost Monarch held about of ''P. scouleri'' fern mat material.
[Williams, Cameron B. and Stephen C. Sillett]
Epiphyte communities on redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) in northwestern California
The Bryologist, Volume 110, Number 3, pages 420-452. 2007, accessed July 2, 2012
See also
*
List of individual trees
The following is a list of individual trees. Trees listed here are regarded as important or specific by their historical, national, locational, natural or mythological context. The list includes actual trees located throughout the world, as we ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Orion Article: Day of Discovery - Excerpt from ''The Wild Trees'' by Richard Preston
Individual coast redwood trees
Redwood National and State Parks