DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Taxus floridana | Florida Yew 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Florida yew is known only from bluffs and ravines along the Apalachicola
River in northwestern Florida, in Gadsden and Liberty counties [6,7].
Several populations occur along a 15-mile [24 km] stretch of the river
[7,11,12].  A single population was reported by Kurz [10] in an Atlantic
white-cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) swamp 8 miles [12.8 km] southeast
of Bristol, Florida.  The Nature Conservancy, however, reported that no
further observations of the Atlantic white-cedar swamp population have
been made [7].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES12  Longleaf - slash pine
   FRES16  Oak - gum - cypress


STATES : 
     FL


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
NO-ENTRY


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
NO-ENTRY


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K112  Southern mixed forest


SAF COVER TYPES : 
    70  Longleaf pine
    74  Cabbage palmetto
    97  Atlantic white-cedar


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Florida yew usually occurs in small clonal stands or clumps and rarely
as individual stems [7,20].  It occurs as disjunct populations of
several hundred to several thousand stems per hectare in hardwood
forests dominated by American beech (Fagus grandiflora) and southern
magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), in both open forest habitats and dense
mountain-laurel (Kalmia latifolia) thickets.  It is an important
component of the forest understory in some drainages [20].  Florida yew
occurs in habitats which include the rare Florida torreya (Torreya
taxifolia), false hellebore (Veratrum woodii), and bladdernut (Staphylea
trifolia).  More common species occurring with Florida yew include
laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia), American beech, horse sugar (Symplocos
tinctoria), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), and in an
Atlantic white-cedar swamp, inkberry (Ilex glabra) [10,20].  Additional
species that occur with Florida yew as reported by Southeastern Forestry
Services [20] include white oak (Q. alba), mockernut hickory (Carya
tomentosa), tree sparkleberry (V. arboreum), and yaupon (I. vomitoria).
On lower slopes the forests are dominated by American beech, southern
magnolia, and American holly (I. opaca).  In some ravines Florida yew
occurs in dense stands of fetterbush (Leucothoe racemosa),
mountain-laurel, greenbriers (Smilax spp.), and canebreak (Arundinaria
spp.).  No indicator species associated with Florida yew have yet been
identified.  Southeastern Forestry Services suggested that differences
in soil, aspect, moisture, or a combination of these factors may
influence the distribution of Florida yew, and that further research is
needed.

Related categories for Species: Taxus floridana | Florida Yew