Coast redwood
Leaves scale-like on lead shoots, needle-like on laterals. Needle-like leaves decurrent at base, stiff and somewhat plastic-like. Two silvery bands of stomata on underside, dark green on upper. Needles on shoots shortest at start and end of year giving a feather-like appearance to each year's shoots. Shoots remain green for several years before becoming woody. Cones borne at shoot apices, egg-shaped like miniature hand-grenades with scale tips like pursed lips. Bark is thick, reddish, fibrous, and soft when punched.
Coast redwoods are restricted to a narrow belt some 450 miles long from Oregon to the Monterey peninsula and were introduced to the British Isles in 1843. In the wild these are the tallest trees known, the tallest currently around 115 meters and provided the backdrop to the closing scenes of 'Return of the Jedi'. These imposing trees are common across the British Isles and are widely planted in large gardens and parks.