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Hyperion, which stands in Redwood National Park in California, is the tallest tree in the world.

位于加州红木国家公园的亥伯龙神树是世界上最高的树。

Depending on where you live, you might be surrounded by tall trees every day. They might be taller than the surrounding houses and telephone poles, but some of the world's tallest are taller than Niagara Falls and the Statue of Liberty.

取决于你住在哪里，你可能每天都被高大的树木包围。它们可能比周围的房屋和电线杆还高，但世界上最高的一些建筑比尼亚加拉大瀑布和自由女神像还高。

These days the trees that hold records for height are excessively tall, for sure, but trees that were even bigger have probably lived. Trees grow tall because they have enough access to nutrients, they're sheltered from damage and they've got access to enough light. But biologists think there is a height above which trees — any tree of any species — just can't grow. This is probably somewhere between 400 and 426 feet (122 and 130 meters), which is still gargantuan by any standard.

如今，保持高度记录的树木确实太高了，但更大的树木可能还存活过。树木之所以长得高，是因为它们有足够的营养，它们不受伤害，它们有足够的光线。但生物学家认为，任何种类的树木都有一个高度，超过这个高度就无法生长。这可能在400到426英尺(122到130米)之间，以任何标准衡量都是巨大的。

The cap on how tall a tree can become has to do with gravity. You're successful as a tree only insofar as you can grow to a place where you have access to as much light as you want. A coast redwood ( Sequoia sempervirens ) is a species that grows very tall, but at some point it gets hard to haul water up a trunk that's as tall as a high-rise building — which is why tall trees taper off at the top.

树能长到多高的上限与重力有关。作为一棵成功的树，你只能生长到一个地方，在那里你可以获得尽可能多的光。海岸红杉(Sequoia sempervirens)是一种长得很高的物种，但在某些时候，它很难把水拖到和高层建筑一样高的树干上，这就是为什么高大的树木在顶部逐渐变细的原因。

And although we don't have any current examples of a tree at the theoretical maximum height, we've got examples that come pretty close. Although the exact location of these trees is often kept a secret from the public, here is the tallest tree in the world and some close competitors:

虽然我们目前还没有任何树木达到理论最大高度的例子，但我们已经有了非常接近的例子。虽然这些树的确切位置经常对公众保密，但这里有世界上最高的树和一些接近的竞争对手:

Contents 目录

1. Hyperion, Coast Redwood 海伯利翁，海岸红木
2. Menara, Yellow Meranti 梅娜拉，黄色莫兰蒂
3. Centurion, Mountain Ash 森图里昂， 阿什山
4. Doerner Fir, Coast Douglas-fir 多纳冷杉，海岸道格拉斯冷杉
5. Raven's Tower, Sitka Spruce 乌鸦塔，锡特卡云杉
6. Unnamed Giant Sequoia 未命名的巨型红杉
7. White Knight, Manna Gum 白骑士，甘露口香糖

1. Hyperion, Coast Redwood 海伯利翁，海岸红木

Hyperion is the world's tallest living tree. This coast redwood grows on a slope, so its average height is 360 feet (116 meters) tall, and its trunk is just over 16 feet (4.94 meters) in diameter. Hyperion stands in Northern California in Redwood National Park and is estimated to be between 600 and 800 years old, which is relatively young, considering coast redwoods have been known to live over 2,000 years.

亥伯龙神树是世界上最高的活树。这种海岸红杉生长在斜坡上，因此它的平均高度为360英尺(116米)高，树干直径略高于16英尺(4.94米)。海伯龙树位于加州北部的红木国家公园，据估计树龄在600到800岁之间，考虑到海岸红杉的寿命已经超过2000年，这是相对年轻的。

Hyperion was discovered in 2006 by two naturalists named Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor, who were bushwhacking through a remote area of Redwood National Park. The month before, they had found three other behemoth coast redwoods in a grove nearby, measuring 375 feet (114.09 meters), 371 feet (113.14 meters) and 363 feet (110.76 meters) and named them from Greek mythology: Helios, Icarus and Daedalus, respectively, These three became the tallest trees in the world for a month, until Atkins and Taylor discovered Hyperion, which was then named the world's tallest tree. The exact location of Hyperion is a secret.

亥伯龙神树是2006年被两位名叫克里斯·阿特金斯和迈克尔·泰勒的博物学家发现的，当时他们正在红木国家公园的一个偏远地区打猎。在此之前的一个月，他们在附近的一个树林里发现了另外三棵巨大的海岸红杉，分别长375英尺(114.09米)、371英尺(113.14米)和363英尺(110.76米)，并根据希腊神话将它们命名为:赫利俄斯、伊卡洛斯和代达罗斯。这三棵树在一个月里都是世界上最高的树，直到阿特金斯和泰勒发现了亥伯龙，它才被命名为世界上最高的树。亥伯龙神树的确切位置是个秘密。

So, the world's largest tree is as tall as a 35-story building, but its close neighbors aren't much shorter. It's hard to compete with coast redwoods for height, but the next six tall trees are getting there.

所以，世界上最大的树有35层楼高，但它的近邻并不比它矮多少。它很难与海岸红杉在高度上竞争，但接下来的六棵高大的树正在接近这一高度。

2. Menara, Yellow Meranti 梅娜拉，黄色莫兰蒂

The world's tallest tropical tree is a yellow meranti ( Shorea faguetiana ) named Menara that grows in the Danum Valley Conservation Area in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Although there has been a little disagreement over its exact height, Menara is a very tall tree: A recent measurement recorded its height at 331 feet (100.8 meters), which is why it's nicknamed for the Malay word for "tower." Menara is also likely the world's tallest angiosperm, or flowering plant.

世界上最高的热带树木是一种名为Menara的黄色莫兰蒂(Shorea faguetiana)，生长在马来西亚婆罗洲沙巴州的Danum山谷保护区。虽然在它的确切高度上有一点分歧，但梅那拉树是一棵非常高的树:最近的测量记录它的高度为331英尺(100.8米)，这就是为什么它被戏称为马来语“塔”。梅那拉也可能是世界上最高的被子植物或开花植物。

3. Centurion, Mountain Ash 森图里昂，阿什山

Centurion is a giant mountain ash ( Eucalyptus regnans ) standing in the Arve valley of Tasmania, Australia, at 330 feet (100.5 meters) tall, with a trunk diameter of 13 feet (4.05 meters). In 2019, Australia's tallest tree was damaged by the lightning-ignited Tasmanian bushfires that burned 494,210 acres (200,000 hectares) — almost 3 percent— of the island's land area.

森图里昂是一种巨大的山白蜡树(Eucalyptus regnans)，长在澳大利亚塔斯马尼亚州的阿尔夫山谷，高330英尺(100.5米)，树干直径13英尺(4.05米)。2019年，澳大利亚最高的树在闪电引发的塔斯马尼亚丛林大火中受损，大火烧毁了494210英亩(20万公顷)的土地，占该岛土地面积的近3%。

Although the fires damaged the base of its trunk, Centurion seems to have pulled through, although the damage might prevent the tree from growing much taller.

虽然大火损坏了它的树干底部，但森图里昂似乎挺过来了，尽管这些损坏可能会阻止这棵树长得更高。

4. Doerner Fir, Coast Douglas-fir 多纳冷杉，海岸道格拉斯冷杉

The Doerner Fir is managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon's Coast Range and is the world's tallest Douglas fir and the tallest non-redwood tree on the planet.

多尔纳冷杉由俄勒冈州海岸山脉的土地管理局管理，是世界上最高的道格拉斯冷杉，也是地球上最高的非红杉树。

The Doerner Fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) lives in the Pacific Northwestern U.S., in Coos County, Oregon. Clocking in at 327 feet (99.7 meters) tall, with a diameter of 11.5 feet (3.5 meters), the Doerner Fir sits on heavily logged public land, so it's a wonder that still stands. Discovered in 1989, it's named after a local public servant.

杜尔纳冷杉(pseudodotsuga menziesii)位于美国西北部太平洋地区，俄勒冈州的库斯县。杜尔纳冷杉高327英尺(99.7米)，直径11.5英尺(3.5米)，坐落在被严重砍伐的公共土地上，所以它仍然屹立不倒是一个奇迹。它于1989年被发现，以当地一名公务员的名字命名。

5. Raven's Tower, Sitka Spruce 乌鸦塔，锡特卡云杉

Raven's Tower is a 317-foot (96.7 meters) sitka spruce ( Picea sitchensis ) discovered in 2001 by Michael Taylor, who also discovered Hyperion, Helios, Icarus and other famous tall trees. Raven's Tower's location is a secret, but it lives inn Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Northern California, which was established in 1923 to protect giant trees like Raven's Tower.

乌鸦塔是一棵317英尺(96.7米)高的锡卡云杉(云杉)，2001年由迈克尔·泰勒发现，他还发现了亥伯龙、太阳神、伊卡洛斯和其他著名的高大树木。乌鸦塔的位置是一个秘密，但它位于北加州的草原溪红杉州立公园，该公园建于1923年，旨在保护像乌鸦塔这样的巨型树木。

6. Unnamed Giant Sequoia 未命名的巨型红杉

California's giant sequoias ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) are famous for being huge, and the biggest of the bunch is 314-foot (95.7 meters) monster living in Sequoia National Forest. Giant sequoias are not only tall, they've got some of the sturdiest trunks, growing up to 25 feet (7.7 meters) in diameter.

加州的巨杉(Sequoiadendron giganteum)以巨大而闻名，其中最大的是生活在红杉国家森林中的314英尺(95.7米)高的巨杉。巨杉不仅长得高，它们的树干也非常结实，直径可达25英尺(7.7米)。

7. White Knight, Manna Gum 白骑士，多枝桉

The manna gums ( Eucalyptus viminalis ), or white peppermint trees, of the Evercreech Forest Reserve in Tasmania are known for their impressive height, but the White Knight is the tallest of them all. The location of this 299-foot (91-meter) spectacle is no secret — it's a tourist destination.

塔斯马尼亚州Evercreech森林保护区的多枝桉树(Eucalyptus viminalis)或白薄荷树以其令人印象深刻的高度而闻名，但白骑士是其中最高的。这座299英尺(91米)高的奇观的位置已经不是秘密了——它是一个旅游目的地。