It is our intent to present as accurate and up-to-date an account as possible of Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.) Buchh., known popularly as the giant sequoia, big tree, or Sierra redwood, and to correct much of the error, distortion, and inconsistency which has, unfortunately, pervaded the literature since the discovery of this species in 1852. What follows is a synthesis of the writings of others together with the results obtained from our field studies, begun in 1956.