Grove of Titans
Encyclopedia
Del Norte County, California
Del Norte County is a county located at the far northwest corner of the U.S. state of California on the Pacific adjacent to the Oregon border. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 28,610. The county seat is Crescent City, the county's only incorporated city. Del Norte is the abbreviated...
, Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
, which includes several massive Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) trees, some being the largest known redwoods in terms of wood volume. The largest Coastal Redwood tree in the grove
Grove (nature)
A grove is a small group of trees with minimal or no undergrowth, such as a sequoia grove, or a small orchard planted for the cultivation of fruits or nuts...
by volume is Lost Monarch. The largest known single stem Coastal Redwood that resides there is Del Norte Titan
Del Norte Titan
Del Norte Titan is the name of a Coast Redwood tree in Del Norte County, Northern California, that was confirmed by measuring to be at least in diameter at DBH , and tall...
.
History
The Grove of Titans (unofficially named) was discovered May 11, 1998, by Stephen Sillett, and naturalist Michael TaylorMichael Taylor (forester)
Michael W. Taylor is a leading discoverer of champion and tallest trees - most notably Coast Redwoods. In 2006, Michael co-discovered the tallest known tree in the world, a coast redwood now named "Hyperion"...
in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The location of the grove
Grove (nature)
A grove is a small group of trees with minimal or no undergrowth, such as a sequoia grove, or a small orchard planted for the cultivation of fruits or nuts...
has not been disclosed to the general public. The discovery implies that Sillett and Taylor are the first to realize and declare the significance of the grove, not that they are the first ones to have seen the grove. In fact, many people pass by these trees as they hike the popular Mill Creek Trail, as the Grove easily can be seen--and accessed--from the trail. The grove's botanical significance is near equal with Atlas Grove
Atlas Grove
Atlas Grove is a nickname for a grove of coast redwood trees in California at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It contains the third largest coast redwood, Iluvatar....
to the south.
Flora
Names of the named largest redwoods in this grove include Lost MonarchLost Monarch
Lost Monarch is the name of a Coast Redwood tree in Northern California that is in diameter at breast height , and in height...
, El Viejo del Norte, Screaming Titans, Eärendil
Eärendil
Eärendil the Mariner is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is depicted in The Silmarillion as a great seafarer who, on his brow, carried the morning star across the sky.-Etymology:...
and Elwing
Elwing
Elwing is a character of Middle-earth, created by J. R. R. Tolkien. She is Half-elven but counted among the Elves, notable for saving a Silmaril from the destruction of the Havens of Sirion and, with her husband Eärendil, going to the Valar to ask their help for the people of Middle-earth...
Aragorn, Sacajawea, Aldebaran, Stalagmight and Del Norte Titan
Del Norte Titan
Del Norte Titan is the name of a Coast Redwood tree in Del Norte County, Northern California, that was confirmed by measuring to be at least in diameter at DBH , and tall...
.
Several abundant understory
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
plants are California sword fern - Polystichum munitum
Polystichum munitum
Polystichum munitum is an evergreen fern native to western North America, where it is one of the most abundant ferns occurring along the Pacific coast from southeast Alaska south to southern California, and also inland east to southeastern British Columbia, northern Idaho and western Montana, with...
and Redwood sorrel - Oxalis oregana.
Location
The Grove of Titans is in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State ParkJedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Jedediah Smith Redwoods Park, established in 1929, was named after the noted fur trapper Jedediah Smith, who visited its location during an 1826 expedition. It is located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California, nine miles east of Crescent City, on U.S. Route 199...
of Northern California, south of Highway 199. The closest town is Crescent City, California
Crescent City, California
Crescent City is the county seat and only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, Crescent City had a total population of 7,643 in the 2010 census, up from 4,006 in the 2000 census...
. The location was described by author Richard Preston as "the bottom of a hidden notch-like valley near a glade
Glade (geography)
A glade or clearing is an open area within a woodland. Glades are often grassy meadows under the canopy of deciduous trees such as red alder or quaking aspen in western North America. They also represent openings in forests where local conditions such as avalanches, poor soils, or fire damage have...
." The exact location within the park has not been revealed for fear that excessive traffic will damage the grove.