This is a list of the tallest known species of trees, as reflected by measurements of the tallest reliably-measured individual specimen. Although giant trees grow in both tropical and temperate regions, they are very restricted geographically and phylogenetically. All the known giant trees occur in mesic climates, and nearly all of them are found in three regions: western North America from California to British Columbia, Southeast Asia (especially Borneo) and southeastern Australia (especially Tasmania).
Tallest living individuals by species
The following are the tallest reliably-measured specimens from the top species. This table contains information on all species for which at least one specimen has been reliably measured at 80 meters (262 feet) or taller.
| Species | Height | Tree name | Class | Location | Continent | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meters | Feet | ||||||
| Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) | 116.07 | 380.8 | Hyperion | Conifer | Redwood National Park, California, United States | Western North America | It reached 116.07 metres (380.8 ft) in 2019. The second and third tallest trees, both redwoods, were also found at Redwood National Park in 2006 when Hyperion was found, and were named Helios 114.7 metres (376 ft) and Icarus 113.1 metres (371 ft) tall (in 2006). |
| Himalayan cypress (Cupressus torulosa) | 102.3 | 336 | Conifer | Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, Bomê County, Nyingchi Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China | East Asia | ||
| Yellow meranti (Shorea faguetiana) | 100.8 | 331 | Menara | Flowering plant | Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia on Borneo island | Southeast Asia | Believed to be tallest tree in Asia until 2023 discovery of 102.3 metres (336 ft) cypress in Tibet. |
| Mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) | 100.5 | 329.7 | Centurion | Flowering plant | Arve Valley, Tasmania, Australia | Southeastern Australia | |
| Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) | 100.2 | 329 | Conifer | Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California, United States | Western North America | ||
| Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) | 99.7 | 327 | Doerner Fir | Conifer | Brummit Creek, Coos County, Oregon, United States | Western North America | |
| Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) | 96.3 | 316 | Conifer | Sequoia National Forest, California, United States | Western North America | ||
| Southern blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) | 90.7 | 298 | Neeminah Loggerale Meena, or Mother and Daughter. | Flowering plant | Tasmania | Southeastern Australia | |
| Noble Fir (Abies procera) | 89.9 | 295 | Conifer | Goat Marsh Research Natural Area, Washington, United States | Western North America | ||
| Manna gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) | 89.0 | 292.0 | White Knight | Flowering plant | Evercreech Forest Reserve, Tasmania | Southeastern Australia | |
| Dinizia excelsa | 88.5 | 290 | Flowering plant | Near the boundary of Amapa and Para states, Brazil. | Central-Northeastern South America | ||
| Brown top stringbark (Eucalyptus obliqua) | 88.5 | 290 | Princess Picabella | Flowering plant | Tasmania | Southeastern Australia | |
| Alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) | 87.9 | 288 | Flowering plant | Tasmania | Southeastern Australia | ||
| Mengaris (Koompassia excelsa) | 85.76 | 281.4 | Pontiankak Putih Cantik | Flowering plant | Tawau Hills National Park, in Sabah on the island of Borneo | Southeast Asia | |
| Mountain Grey Gum (Eucalyptus cypellocarpa) | 85.0 | 278.9 | Flowering plant | Victoria | Southeastern Australia | ||
| Karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) | 85.00 | 278.9 | Stewart Karri | Flowering Plant | Western Australia | South Western Australia | (24) |
| Shorea argentifolia | 84.85 | 278.4 | Flowering plant | Gaharu ridge of Tawau Hills National Park, in Sabah on the island of Borneo. | Southeast Asia | ||
| Shorea superba | 84.41 | 276.9 | Flowering plant | Gergassi Ridge of Tawau Hills National Park, in Sabah on the island of Borneo. | Southeast Asia | ||
| Shining gum (Eucalyptus nitens) | 84.3 | 277 | Flowering plant | O'Shannassy Catchment, Victoria | Southeastern Australia | ||
| Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides) | 84.1 | 276 | Conifer | North-central Taiwan | East Asia | ||
| Sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) | 83.45 | 273.8 | Conifer | near Yosemite National Park, California, United States. | Western North America | ||
| Abies chensiensis var. salouenensis | 83.4 | 274 | Conifer | Zayü County, Nyingchi Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China | East Asia | ||
| Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) | 83.34 | 273.4 | Tsunami | Conifer | Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California, United States. | Western North America | |
| Hopea nutans | 82.82 | 271.7 | Flowering plant | Gaharu ridge of Tawau Hills National Park, in Sabah on the island of Borneo. | Southeast Asia | ||
| Shorea johorensis | 82.39 | 270.3 | Flowering plant | Coco-Park boundary of Tawau Hills National Park, in Sabah on the island of Borneo. | Southeast Asia | ||
| Shorea smithiana | 82.27 | 269.9 | Flowering plant | Coco-Park boundary of Tawau Hills National Park, in Sabah on the island of Borneo. | Southeast Asia | ||
| Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) | 81.77 | 268.3 | Phalanx | Conifer | in Myers Creek drainage of Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon, United States. | Western North America | |
| Entandrophragma excelsum | 81.5 | 267 | Flowering plant | at Kilimanjaro, Tanzania | Eastern Africa | ||
| Sydney blue gum (Eucalyptus saligna) | 81.5 | 267 | Flowering plant | Woodbush State Forest, Magoebaskloof, Limpopo, South Africa. The world's tallest planted tree. | Southern Africa (non native), but endemic to eastern Australia) | ||
| Grand fir (Abies grandis) | 81.4 | 267 | Conifer | in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, Washington, United States. | Western North America | ||
| Shorea gibbosa | 81.11 | 266.1 | Flowering plant | River Flats of Tawau Hills National Park, in Sabah on the island of Borneo. | Southeast Asia | ||
| Lawson cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) | 81.08 | 266.0 | Conifer | In Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California, United States. | Western North America | ||
Tallest living individuals not by species
The following are the tallest reliably-measured specimens over 99 meters (325 feet) tall.
| Tree name | Height | Species | Class | Location | Continent | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meters | Feet | ||||||
| Hyperion | 116.07 | 380.8 | Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) | Conifer | Redwood National Park, California, United States | Western North America | |
| Helios | 114.91 | 377.0 | |||||
| Stratosphere Giant | 113.61 | 372.7 | Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California, United States | ||||
| Icarus | 113.14 | 371.2 | Redwood National Park, California, United States | ||||
| Daedalus | 110.64 | 363.0 | |||||
| unnamed | 102.3 | 336 | Himalayan cypress (Cupressus torulosa) | Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, Bomê County, Nyingchi Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China | East Asia | ||
| Menara | 100.8 | 331 | Yellow meranti (Shorea faguetiana) | Flowering plant | Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia on Borneo island | Southeast Asia | |
| Centurion | 100.58 | 330.0 | Mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) | Arve Valley, Tasmania, Australia | Southeastern Australia | ||
| unnamed | 100.2 | 329 | Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) | Conifer | Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California, United States | Western North America | |
| Doerner Fir | 99.7 | 327 | Doerner Fir Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) | Brummit Creek, Coos County, Oregon, United States | |||
Maximum limits of tree height
Two main opposing forces affect a tree's height; one pushes it upward while the other holds it down. By analyzing the interplay between these forces in coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), a team of biologists led by George Koch of Northern Arizona University calculated the theoretical maximum tree height or the point at which opposing forces balance out and a tree stops growing. This point lies somewhere between 122 and 130 m (400 and 426 feet). On the one hand, the researchers found, trees in forests "desire" to grow as tall as possible to overtake neighboring trees and reach stronger sunlight. On the other hand, gravity makes it more and more difficult to haul water upwards from the roots to the canopy as the tree grows, and leaves thus become smaller near the top. They discovered that despite the moistness of the ground far below, the leaves at the treetops struggle to get enough water, so they are effectively living in a constant drought. The difficulty of getting water so far up into the sky is what ultimately constrains growth. Other researchers have developed models of maximum height for Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) trees that yield similar estimates of 109–138 meters (357–452 feet), a range that includes the height of the tallest reliably-measured historical (dead) specimen, a 126-meter tree.
Other claims of superlative height
There are many historical and contemporary claims of superlative height for species beyond those listed in the table above. For example, several articles published in 1878 describe an Eucalyptus amygdalina exceeding 380 feet (120 m) and others nearing 420 feet (130 m) up to 500 feet (150 m), including the Nooksack Giant which was measured using a tape at 465 feet (142 m) after being cut down.
The heights of the tallest trees in the world have been the subject of considerable dispute and much exaggeration. Modern verified measurements with laser rangefinders or with tape drop measurements made by tree climbers (such as those carried out by canopy researchers), have shown that some older tree height measurement methods are often unreliable, sometimes producing exaggerations of 5% to 15% or more above the real height.