Tree in Sequoia National Park, CA [C.J. Earle, 24-Mar-01]. Bark and foliage of above tree [C.J. Earle, 24-Mar-01]. Seedling of above tree [C.J. Earle, 24-Mar-01]. Foliage of above tree, top side. Sample is about 7 cm long [C.J. Earle, 27-Mar-01]. Foliage of above tree, bottom side. Sample is about 7 cm long [C.J. Earle, 27-Mar-01]. Seed in aril from a tree in Sacramento's Capitol Arboretum [C.J. Earle]. Distribution of Torreya californica (Griffin and Critchfield 1972). |
Torreya californica Torrey 1854Common NamesCalifornia nutmeg, California torreya, stinking cedar (Peattie 1950). Taxonomic notesSyn: Torreya myristica Hooker; Tumion californicum (Torrey) Greene (Hils 1993). Description"Trees to 20(25) m; trunk to 90(120) cm dbh; crown conic or, in age, round-topped. Branches spreading to slightly drooping; 2-year-old branches reddish brown. Leaves 3-8 cm, abaxial side with 2 deeply impressed, glaucous bands of stomates, flattened on adaxial side, emitting pungent odor when crushed. Pollen cones whitish. Seed (including aril) 2.5-3.5 cm; aril light green streaked with purple. 2n = 16" (Hils 1993). RangeUSA: California. Rare and local along mountain streams, protected slopes, creek bottoms, and moist canyons of the Coast Range and Sierra Nevada, at 0-2000 m elevation (Hils 1993). See also Thompson et al. (1999). Big TreeOldestDendrochronologyEthnobotanyObservationsArno and Gyer (1973) indicate that it can be found in "draws and basins on Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County;" along "the road entering Yosemit Valley from El Portal" (Yosemite National Park); at "the entrance to Boyden Cave in Kings Canyon" (National Park); and "the trail to Crystal Cave and near Clough Cave in Sequoia National Park." I have only found it in one location so far, on the road towards Giant Forest a few miles beyond the Foothills Visitor Center in Sequoia National Park (36° 32.558' N, 118° 46.912' W). My notes report: "Here I find what is definitely the most prickly conifer I have ever encountered. This is a decent-sized little grove. They're growing amidst evergreen oaks, blue oaks, tanoak, a few small incense-cedars, and an understory with a xeric analogue of ladyfern, shrub oak, and probably poison oak. There's active regeneration, trees and seedlings growing both above and below the highway. Within 100 m of the sample point there are probably 50 stems taller than breast height, the largest being the one that I photographed the bark of, which has a dbh of about 25 cm. These trees are growing on a south- or southeast-facing slope. It seems to be a relatively dry microsite, but the torreyas are on locally concave topography. Slopes are 60-70%. We only find fruits on the largest, sun-grown specimen. Seedlings, of which the smallest I can find are about 15 cm tall, basically look the same as the larger plants except that their needles are shorter, about 1.5-2 cm vs. 4 cm on sun foliage in the mature trees." RemarksSee Alsoback | Torreya | Taxaceae | home This page is from the Gymnosperm Database
|