Columbine is a very common plant in
the redwood forest. Its flowers are red and yellow, and they grow
from 6 to 30 inches high. Look for them in the summer, when you
will find them growing in moist shady places such as creek banks
or near seeps in the ground.
Dogwood is another plant that is often found growing among the giant sequoias. As you can see, it looks more like a bush than a tree. Dogwood plants are deciduous because they drop their leaves in the winter. In the fall, their leaves turn bright red. By the spring, dogwoods have beautiful, large white blooms.
Here is a close up of a dogwood fruit. You can see
the dried flower still clinging to the stem.
Here is a young white fir seedling.
Trees such as white firs are called 'conifers' because their seeds
are held in cones. White firs grow quickly in the redwood forest,
where they grow well in very shady places.
Here is a mature white fir. Notice
how its branches spread horizontally (sideways).
Another bushy plant growing in the giant sequoia forest is the California hazelnut. The photo on the left shows the large oval leaves of the plant, and the photo on the right shows a young hazelnut fruit.
Incense cedar is a tree sometimes found growing among giant sequoias on slopes or canyons. It is different from pine trees because it has scale-like leaves instead of the needle-like, prickly leaves of pines. You can also tell an incense cedar from its wonderful, strong smell!
Pinedrops is an interesting plant. It is parasitic, which means it is totally dependent on other plants to live. This is a photo of two flower stalks. Look at it closely. Does it look like other flowers you know? (Probably not!) Pinedrops grows on the roots of other plants.
