Sequoiadendron chaneyi is an
extinct species of
tree in the
Cupressaceae genus
Sequoiadendron. Known from
Miocene fossils found in Nevada and California,
S. chaneyi is the oldest species of
Sequoiadendron. The common use of the name "sequoia" generally refers to
Sequoiadendron giganteum, which occurs naturally only in the various groves that exist on the western slopes of the
Sierra Nevada mountains of California.
S. chaneyi is considered the probable direct ancestor to the extant
Sequoiadendron giganteum.