Gopherwood Torreya taxifolia
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- TOR-ree-uh taks-ih-FOH-lee-uh
- Description
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Florida Torreya is a needled evergreen conifer in the yew family native to riparian areas Georgia and Florida. The tree is dioecious (male and female cones on separate trees) and grows 30-50 feet tall and wide. It prefers part shade to shade in constantly moist well-drained soils and can be used as an ornamental or specimen tree. It performs well in the high humidity of the south but it is difficult to find this tree in the nursery industry. The Biltmore Estate in NC has been successfully growing disease-free trees.
See other native trees that are less problematic to the left.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Scale is an insect problem. Fungal blight, mushroom root rot, leaf spot, and needle necrosis are devastating natural populations of this plant putting it on endangered species lists.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Torreya
- Species:
- taxifolia
- Family:
- Taxaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Had been used for fence posts
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- North America
- Distribution:
- GA, FL, NC
- Dimensions:
- Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Pyramidal
- Maintenance:
- High
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 24-60 feet
- NC Region:
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Male cones appear in the axils of the needles of the prior year. Female cones appear in the axils of the needles of the current year and take 18 months to ripen. A fleshy drupe-like cone is up to 1.3 inches long and surrounds a single seed. Fruits are striped with purple and the seed matures to reddish-brown. Squirrels help disperse the seeds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Description:
- Non-flowering
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Leaf Type:
- Needles
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Linear
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Bright green, stiff, glossy linear needles 1 1/2-2" long and 1/8" wide, have an unpleasant fragrance when crushed. Two bluish-white stomatal bands run on the bottom side of the leaves.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Orange
- Surface/Attachment:
- Furrowed
- Bark Description:
- Mature bark is thick and irregularly divided by shallow fissures. The dark-brown outer bark often is tinged with orange while the inner bark is yellow.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Stiff green twigs. 2-year old branches gray. Stems emit a foul odor when crushed.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Riparian
- Landscape Theme:
- Rain Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Screen/Privacy
- Small Tree
- Attracts:
- Small Mammals
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Heavy Shade
- Humidity
- Problems:
- Frequent Disease Problems
