CALIFORNIA NUTMEG 



California nutmeg (Torreya calif ornica), so called because of the re 

 semblance of its fruit to nutmegs, is one of the most singular, as well as one 

 of the most handsome of California trees. It is found scattered along borders 

 of streams or in creek bottoms in the Coast Range and Sierra Nevadas, rarely 

 exceeding twenty feet in height. Some trees have been found in the Santa 

 Cruz Mountains, however, that are eighty-five feet high and two feet in 

 diameter. 



This tree was discovered in about 1853 and specimens were sent to Dr. 

 John Torrey of Columbia College, who worked out its botanical characteristics. 

 It resembles the yew in its general appearance, but the leaves are rigid with 

 sharp points. They are of a shining green color, and give the impression of 

 having been glazed or varnished. The branches are spreading and are usually 

 whorled. California nutmegs are little known in cultivation. They are 

 mainly grown in botanic gardens because of their interesting characteristics of 

 leaf and fruit. 



CEDARS, CYPRESSES AND SEQUOIAS 



The cedars, cypresses and sequoias embrace several genera of trees that 

 are more or less botanically allied, and have much in common in form and 

 behavior. They are characterized by an upright habit of branching and a full 

 supply of foliage which makes them effective in formal planting and as speci 

 men trees. They are usually adaptive to soil conditions and are easily handled. 



The term &quot;Cedar,&quot; which is derived from a word meaning &quot;life from the 

 dead,&quot; is generally applied to a wide range of species belonging to different 

 genera. This is due perhaps to the association of the word with woods posess- 

 ing exceptional durability. The Egyptians used cedar oil for preserving 

 mummies, and the wood for mummy cases. Carved figures of cedar wood 

 several thousands of years old can be seen in our museums of today. In the 

 United States, southern red cedar, incense cedar, Port Orford cedar, western 

 red cedar and cypress are genera which have species commonly known as 

 &quot;cedar.&quot; 



The durability of cedar was well known to Oliver Wendell Holmes who 

 says : 



the fair cedar, fallen before the breeze, 

 Lies self-embalmed amidst the mouldering trees.&quot; 



(19) 



