What is the difference between a bigtree, or giant sequoia, and a redwood?

These trees are different species of the same family and genus. Botani-cally, the giant sequoia is known as Sequoia gigantea, and the redwood is known as Sequoia sempervirens. They grow in different places. The giant sequoia is found only on the middle slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California. The redwood grows only along the Pacific coast, within reach of the ocean fogs, from Monterey County northward to the Oregon line. The redwood has needlelike leaves; the giant sequoia has scalelike leaves.