General Sherman Tree (top)
The General Sherman Tree is the largest organism in the world. It is a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in Sequoia National Park, California. Even at almost 200 feet above the ground, the trunk is almost as thick as it is at ground level. Giant sequoias have evolved a life history of slow growth and long life. Photograph by Stanley A. Rice. Appears in Green Planet (Rutgers University Press).