BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Taxus floridana | Florida Yew 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Florida yew is a native, evergreen, small, bushy tree or shrub [3,6,12].
Maximum height at maturity is usually 26 feet (8 m), although one survey
reported an individual that was 30 feet (9 m) tall and 6.5 inches (16.5
cm) d.b.h. [3,6,20].  The bark is purplish brown, sloughing in plates.
The leaves are needlelike, flat, linear, and somewhat falcate, 0.8 to 1
inch (2-2.5 cm) long.  The branches are arranged in an irregular manner,
long branches are often oriented ar nearly right angles to the trunk.
Even though the wood is hard when dried, live trunks are flexible [16].
The ovulate cones occur singly in only a few leaf axils [6].  The
ovulate cones have a fleshy outer covering (aril) that is 0.4 inch (10
mm) broad [3].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Florida yew is dioecious [16].  The seeds of other yews (Taxus spp.)
often take two growing seasons to germinate.  Passage through the
digestive tract of birds is probably required for germination of any yew
seed [17].  Seedling recruitment in Florida yew varies among sites.  The
majority of seedlings occur under female Florida yew trees, but seedling
height growth is negatively affected by the presence and density of a
canopy.  Of one hundred tagged seedlings at each of two sites, 21 and 39
percent survived to 10 months.  Seedlings are apparently only moderately
shade tolerant; very low levels of seedling recruitment were observed at
the site which had a closed canopy [16].

Florida yews form clonal stands largely through layering [16], although
root sprouts have also been reported [20].  Stems which have had their
tops chewed off by beavers will sprout, resulting in a bushy growth form
[20].  Individual Florida yew stems often fall over after reaching
maturity, or have branches forced to the ground by overstory branches or
stems which allows new Florida yew stems to form.  The flexible trunk
and long branches of Florida yew appear to facilitate the formation of
clonal stands.  Female genets have significantly more ramets than male
genets [16].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Florida yew occurs on steep slopes in the ravines and occasionally on
bluffs along the the Apalachicola River.  Soils are slightly acidic to
neutral sandy loams [7,10].  Florida yew occurs at elevations between
upland sandhill (longleaf pine [Pinus palustris]) habitats and very
moist ravine bottoms [1,13].  It also occurs in an acidic peat (pH
range 4.2-4.5) swamp [10].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Facultative Seral Species

Florida yew is tolerant of shade.  Seed germination occurs under light
to deep shade, although seedling establishment and survival are low
under very deep shade [16].  Florida yew is, however, apparently adapted
to disturbance.  Disturbances that topple Florida yew stems, such as
shifting sands or windfall of overstory stems create opportunites for
new ramet formation, often downslope of the original stem.  Individual
stems of Florida yew may be relatively short-lived, but genets may be
long-lived, shifting location along slopes.  The largest (and oldest)
genets are often found on the lowest slopes [27].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Florida yew arils mature in September or early October of their first
season [3].

Related categories for Species: Taxus floridana | Florida Yew