The　famous　cryptographer　Merkle　first　put　forward　the　idea　of　Merkle　tree　authentication.　Complete　binary　tree　is　used　for　large　amounts　of　data　authentication　and　signature.　In　recent　years,　many　scholars　use　Merkle　tree　for　wireless　sensor　networks.　For　the　processing　of　a　large　number　of　sensor　nodes,　Merkle　tree　can　cause　high　computational　complexity,　high　memory　demand,　high　traffic　load,　validation　delay　and　a　series　of　practical　problems.　The　Graded　Merkle　tree　is　proposed　to　alleviate　some　of　these　issues.　However,　with　the　further　increase　in　the　number　of　sensor　nodes　and　expansion　of　the　geographical　scope,　the　wireless　sensor　networks　based　on　the　Graded　Merkle　tree　highlights　some　new　problems,　such　as　scalability,　robustness,　flexibility,　security　and　so　on.　In　this　paper,　a　modified　wireless　sensor　network　architecture　based　on　hierarchical　Merkle　tree　is　proposed　to　effectively　solve　the　above　problems.　©　2017　Inderscience　Enterprises　Ltd.