BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Torreya taxifolia | Florida Torreya 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Florida torreya is a dioecious native evergreen tree, typically from 30
to 40 feet (9-12 m) tall and 12 to 20 inches (30-50 cm) in diameter
[11,14].  The largest living specimen is in North Carolina, and measures
about 45 feet (14 m) in height and 35 inches (89 cm) d.b.h.  Florida
torreya bark is only about 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) thick on mature trees,
and is irregularly divided by shallow fissures.  The ovules or arils are
1.2 to 1.6 inches (3-4 cm) long.  They are fleshy, turning leathery at
maturity.  The seeds have a woody seed coat [20].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Male Florida torreya bear their microsporophylls within strobili.  In
contrast, the ovules of female trees are not contained within strobili
but are solitary [14].  Male strobili begin growth the year prior to
flowering, while female trees develop ovules in one growing season
[11,14].  Florida torreya produces male and female cones at the age of
20 [14].  Torreya species are wind pollinated.  Seeds mature in 2 years
[15].  At Maclay State Gardens, some germination occurred when seeds
were placed in rich, damp topsoil.  Of 35 seeds planted in wet spaghnum
moss, 80 percent germinated.  Germination is hypogeal, and seeds require
afterripening [14].  Viable seeds are rock hard when ripe.  Seeds
collected from diseased trees are soft and crumble easily [15].  Because
of fungal infection, sexual reproduction has virtually stopped in this
species.  Infected trees seldom bear reproductive structures.
Consequently, few trees can be identified as either male or female [21].
Few seedlings have been found in the wild since the late 1950's [14],
and current reproduction is almost solely vegetative [21,22].

Florida torreya sprouts from the roots, bole, and root crown following
damage to aboveground portions of the tree [14,15,20,21,22].  Numerous
sprouts are produced at the base of the parent tree, although only one
sprout usually survives after several years [14].  Basal sprouts grow
several feet before succumbing to infection [15].
 
Florida torreya is propagated with stem cuttings [21].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Florida torreya occurs mainly on steep, deeply shaded limestone slopes,
bluffs, and wooded ravines, but is not confined to them [8,9,14].  It
also occurs in forest hammocks and on slopes of ravines cutting through
sandhills.  The population in Jackson County, Florida, occurs on gently
rolling hills [8].  Soils are well drained [21], with a pH range from
4.0 to 8.0 [8].  The climate is subtropical, with wet summers and dry
winters.  The average annual precipitation is 56 inches (1,420 mm), and
the average growing season is 270 days [14].  Florida torreya
transplants grow on southern aspects of the Appalachian Mountains,
suggesting the species is more cold tolerant than its present range
indicates [21].

Common overstory associates not listed under Distribution and Occurrence
include spruce pine (P. glabra), southern red oak (Quercus falcata),
American beech (Fagus grandifolia), magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora),
American holly (Ilex opaca), Florida maple (Acer barbatum), basswood
(Tilia americana var. heterophylla), Florida yew (Taxus floridana), and
eastern hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana).  Understory associates include
poison-ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), greenbriar (Smilax spp.), crossvine
(Bignonia capreolata), oak-leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), grape
(Vitis rotundifolia), climbing hydrangea (Decumaria barbara), French
mulberry (Callicarpa americana), woodbine (Parthenocissus), yaupon (Ilex
vomitoria), blackberry (Rubus spp.), sedges (Carex spp.), panicgrass
(Panicum spp.), partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), little sweet Betsy
(Trillium cuneatum), cane (Arundinaria gigantea), and American climbing
fern (Lygodium palmatum) [8,12,14].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Facultative Seral Species

Florida torreya is shade tolerant and is found in late seral and climax
communities [8].  It grows better in full sunlight at Maclay State
Gardens than in the dense shade of its natural habitat [14].  Seedlings,
however, tolerate the deep shade of pines and hardwoods [14], and
are probably more successful competitors on shady sites in their natural
habitat [21].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Reproductive structures emerge in March and April [11].  Seeds ripen
from August to October and are released from September to November
[11,14].  Midsummer aril ripening has been reported for Florida torreya,
but is not typical [11].  Needles persist for 3 to 4 years [20].

Related categories for Species: Torreya taxifolia | Florida Torreya