Torreya 1463 



TORREYA NUCIFERA 



Torreya nucifera, Siebold and Zuccarini, in Abk. Akad. Munchen, iv. 3, p. 234 (1846); Franchet 

 et Savatier, Enutn. PL Jap. i. 475 (1875) • Masters, vajourn. Linn. Soc. {Bot)y^m. 500 (1881), 

 and xxvi. 546 (1902); Shirasawa, Icon. Ess. Forest. Japon, i. text 32, t. 15, figs. 19-34 (1900); 

 Kent, Veitch's Man. Conif. 119 (1900) ; F. W. Oliver, in New Phytologist, i. 151, fig. 6 (1902) • 

 Pilger, in Engler, Fflanzenreich, iv. 5, Taxacea, 105 (1903). 



Taxus nucifera, Linnaeus, Sp. PI. 1040 (1753); Thunberg, Ft. Jap. 275 (1784). 



Podocarpus nucifera, Persoon, Syn. ii. 633 (1807); Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. iv. 2100 (1838). 



Caryotaxus nucifera, Zuccarini, ex Endlicher, Syn. Conif 241 (1847) ; Henkel and Hochstetter, Syn. 

 Nadelhoh. 366 (1865). 



Tumion nuciferum, Greene, in Pittonia, ii. 194 (1891). 



A tree, attaining in Japan 80 ft. in height, with bright red bark, and pungent 

 aromatic branchlets and leaves. Young branchlets green, glabrous, becoming reddish 

 in the second year. Buds prismatic, about \ in. long, with six to eight decussate 

 external scales. Leaves, | to i:|^ in. long, \x.o\ in. wide, lanceolate-linear, tapering 

 from near the base to the narrow acuminate spine-tipped apex; shining dark or 

 yellowish green above ; lower surface with two deeply depressed white stomatic 

 bands, about as wide as the midrib, but not so wide as the marginal green bands ; 

 petiole about ^^g. in. long. 



Staminate flowers, \ in. long ; connective crest-like, denticulate. Fruit narrowly 

 obovoid, f to I in. long, green tinged with purple ; flesh thin, resinous ; shell light 

 brown, with irregular longitudinal depressions; inner coat dark red, folded for a 

 short distance into the albumen. (A. H.) 



This species is a native of Japan, occurring as a rare tree in the southern 



islands and in the forests of southern and central Hondo, where, according to 



Sargent, it reaches a height of 80 ft., and is remarkable for the beauty of its bright 



red bark and lustrous dark green foliage. The only place where I saw the tree wild 



was in virgin forest on the slopes of the Kireshima volcano in southern Kiusiu. 



Here there were trees up to about 10 in. in diameter, scattered in a dense forest of 



Abies firma and Tsuga, mixed with oaks, chestnut, and other broad-leaved trees. 



Seedlings were found in dense shade and could be distinguished by the sharp points 



of their leaves. I was told by the foresters that much larger trees existed, but only 



in remote and inaccessible places. Where it was planted in Kisogawa and below 



Koyasan at 1500 ft. elevation, it attained a height of 40 to 50 ft. with a girth of 8 ft. 



or more ; and had very much the habit of a yew, but made a cleaner trunk with 



less tendency to branch. It is known in Japan as Kaya ; and an oil is extracted 



from the seeds, which is used in cooking. The wood, according to Rein, is light 



yellowish in colour, and is used for making chests and boxes. The wood is also 



used for making Japanese chess-men. 



The Japanese Torreya was described and figured by Kaempfer, Amcen. Exot. 

 815 (17 1 2); and seems to have been introduced^ into England in 1764 under the 



> Alton, Hort. JCew. v. 416 (18 13). 

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