Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Glaucum' is a narrowly pyramidal selection of Giant sequoia with more-or-less fastigiate branches and striking blue-green foliage, particularly with the first flush of new spring growth. It is purported to be cold hardier than many other giant sequoia cultivars. After 10 years, a specimen will measure 16 feet (5 m) tall and 4.5 feet (1.5 m) wide, an annual growth rate of 1.5 to 2 feet (45 - 60 cm).
The blue giant sequoia is a very old cultivar in the nursery trade, first described 1860 by Christoph Friedrich Otto (1783-1856), in Hamburger Garten- und Blumenzeitung. It is noteworthy that this edition was actually published 4 years after Otto's death. In his description, Otto listed it under the name, Sequoia gigantea var. glauca, which suggests that more than one clone may be implicated as this cultivar's genetic source. Further, it is highly unlikely that the tree described in 1860 is the tree that is common in cultivation today.
