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Torreya taxifolia Arnott 1838
Common NamesFlorida torreya, stinking cedar, gopherwood (1).Taxonomic notesSyn: Tumion taxifolium (Arnott) Greene (1).DescriptionTrees to 13(18) m; trunk to 80 cm dbh; "crown rather open-conical. Branches spreading to slightly drooping; 2-year-old branches yellowish green, yellowish brown, or gray. Leaves 1.5-3.8 cm, abaxial side with 2 scarcely impressed, grayish bands of stomates, rounded on adaxial side, emitting fetid odor when crushed. Pollen cones pale yellow. Seed (including aril) 2.5-3.5 cm; aril glaucous, dark green, streaked with purple" (1).RangeUSA: Georgia, Florida at 15-30 m elevation on river bluffs, slopes, and moist ravines along a 33-km stretch of the Appalachicola River (3, 4).Big Tree14 m tall, 88 cm dbh, in a yard in Norlina, NC. Formerly, heights of 20 m were recorded among wild trees (3).OldestSee Remarks; no wild trees are more than 35 years old, and the oldest specimen is probably in cultivation.DendrochronologyNo use recorded and none likely to happen.EthnobotanyFormerly used for fuel, fence posts, and shingles (3).ObservationsRemarksThe species is a rare endemic. Populations were thriving until the 1950s, but since then they have been decimated by fungal disease (4, 5). By 1962, only nonreproductive stump sprouts remained in the wild. In 1984, the Florida torreya was listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. A recovery plan has been approved, and efforts are underway to reestablish this once thriving species in its native habitat. Approximately 1000 individuals were alive in 1996, but at that time, the responsible pathogen had not been identified. At this time, the continued survival of the species apparently depends entirely on plants in cultivation (1, 2, 3).Citations(1) Hils, Matthew H. at the Flora of North America web site.(2) McMahan 1989. (3) American Forests 1996. (4) Godfrey, R.L. and H. Kurz. 1962. The Florida torreya destined for extinction. Science 136: 900, 902. (5) Lee et. al. 1995. See also: |
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