Wintertime Discoloration of Giant Sequoia Seedlings
These are both one year old
seedlings. The one on the left has
been buried under snow most of the
winter. The one on the right was
exposed to the wind. The wind
brought out the winter color. Both
trees are healthy.
On the left is a two year old giant
sequoia seedling. On the right is a
three year old. Both were equally
exposed to the winter wind. The
older tree on the ight is sappier
and is therefore more resistant to
the color change.
The wintertime variations in color
with regards to the age of the trees.
The wintertime discoloration produces a color that is yet to be named by whoever names colors. It has been described as purplish-red, rust, brown, and bronze. Everyone who tries to describe the color struggles with an attempt to describe a color that has yet to be named. The discoloration does not occur every winter. It typically will come on suddenly in the wake of a cold storm after a period of unseasonable warmth.
Seedlings that are buried in snow do not discolor, only those that are exposed to the wind leading us to believe that the discoloration is the result of freeze drying. The discoloration does not harm the trees it simply brings out a pigment that is already present. The condition will disappear when the temperatures remain warm for an extended period in the spring.