Iluvatar (tree) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Iluvatar |
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Arborist M.D. Vaden next to the coastal redwood Ilúvatar in 2008. The groundcover plants are western sword fern and redwood sorrel.
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| Species | Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) |
| Height | 97.54 m (320.0 ft) |
| Diameter | 6.25 m (20.5 ft) |
| Volume of trunk | 1,102.7 m3 (38,940 cu ft) |
Iluvatar is a giant redwood tree found in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Northern California. This amazing tree is at least 20.5 feet (6.2 m) wide near its base and stands 320 feet (98 m) tall. That's taller than a 30-story building!
A botanist named Stephen C. Sillett measured Iluvatar. He found that it is the third-largest coast redwood tree in the entire world. The biggest one is called Lost Monarch.
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Where Iluvatar Lives
Iluvatar grows with a special group of trees known as the Atlas Grove. The exact spot where these trees are found is kept secret. This helps protect them from too many visitors.
The Atlas Grove, including Iluvatar, is a very important area for scientists to study. It took five climbers more than 20 days just to measure Iluvatar! Imagine how much work that was.
Unique Features of Iluvatar
Iluvatar has many smaller trunks growing from its main trunk, almost like extra branches that grew into their own trunks. These are called "reiterated trunks." Iluvatar has 134 of them, which is more than almost any other redwood. One of these smaller trunks is 2.6 metres (8 ft 6 in) wide, making it the biggest "extra" trunk on any redwood tree!
Like many very old redwoods, the branches high up in Iluvatar's crown are connected. They have actually grown together and fused! This helps the tree move water around its top parts. These fusions also make the tree's crown stronger, helping it stand up to strong winds. Iluvatar has 30 such fused connections.
How Iluvatar Got Its Name
This incredible redwood tree was named by Stephen Sillett. He named it after Eru Ilúvatar, who is the creator of the universe in the fantasy stories by J. R. R. Tolkien. Tolkien wrote famous books like The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.
Discovery of the Atlas Grove
The Atlas Grove, where Iluvatar lives, was reportedly found by a naturalist named Michael Taylor in 1991. This discovery was shared by author Richard Preston.
Iluvatar's Tree Neighbors
Iluvatar is surrounded by many other ancient coastal redwood trees. Some of its neighbors include trees named Atlas Tree, Gaia, Pleiades, Ballantine, Prometheus, Bell, and Zeus. Some of these names come from ancient Greek gods.
Other types of trees growing nearby include:
