Torreya taxifolia
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Florida Torreya
Taxaceae
Plant Specifics
| Form: | Tree | |
| Size: | 12-36 ft tall by 6-10 ft wide | |
| Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | NA | |
| Fruit Color: | Blue, purple | |
| Phenology: | Evergreen | |
| Noted for: | Interesting foliage |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Specimen tree. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Considerations: | Disease. Do not plant in areas where the species grows naturally due to disease -- this means avoiding the bluffs along the Apalachicola River. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propagation: | Seed. Some native nurseries carry seed-grown plants from out-of-state nurseries. Do not plant unless you can verify that the seedlings are disease-free. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Availability: | Native nurseries | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Part Shade, Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| (Somewhat moist, no flooding ----- to ----- Not wet but not extremely dry) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: | Somewhat moist, no flooding ----- to ----- Not wet but not extremely dry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil or other substrate: | Loam, Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil pH: | Slightly acidic to neutral | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ecology
| Wildlife: |
Birds eat seeds. | |
| Insects: | ||
| Native Habitats: | Slope forest, upland hardwood forest. Rich wooded ravines. |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
8A 8B
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
| General Comments: | In the wild, Torreya is dying out due to disease. If choosing to plant this species, obtain disease-free (out-of-state) specimens and plant well-removed from the Apalachicola River so that the planted specimens will not become infected. This is a federally endangered species, it cannot be transplanted or transported without landowner permission and/or appropriate permits. There are also issues with planting this since the disease is easily transmittable (Chapman 2019). Bottom line, this is not something to do without consulting conservation specialists. To participate in FNPS restoration and protection efforts for this species, see http://torreyakeepers.fnps.org. |