The Torreyas 125 



leaves are flat, linear, i to 2 cm. long, 1.5 to 2 mm. wide, straight or slightly 

 curved, bristle-pointed, entire and revolute on the margin, tapering to the short, 

 twisted leaf-stalk; they are dark green and shining above, pale, often glaucous 

 beneath; the midrib is prominent on both sides. The flowers appear in March 

 and April and are bright yellow; both staminate and pistillate are subtended by 

 ovate scales. The fruit, which is quite scarce, ripening in October, is 6 to 10 mm. 

 long; the aril-like cup is bright red and sweet; the seed is ovoid, 5 to 7 mm. 

 long, narrowed to a sharp point at the apex and obscurely wrinkled. 



The wood is hard, close-grained, dark reddish brown, the sapwood thin and 

 white; its specific gravity is about 0.63. 



As a shrub it greatly resembles the American yew, Taxus canadensis Marshall, 

 of the north; it is not known to have been cultivated. 



Both this species and the Western yew have been regarded by German 

 authors as varieties of the European Taxus baccata Linnaeus, but they are quite 

 distinct from it. 



II. THE TORREYAS 



GENUS TDBfllON RAFINESQUE 

 Torreya Arnott, not Rafinesque 



SMALL genus represented by 4 hving species, one each in Florida, 

 California, Japan, and China, and by fossil remains in the arctic 

 regions, and northern Europe. 



They have spreading, apparently 2-ranked, linear, flat leaves. 

 The flowers are dioecious, appearing in early spring in the axils of leaves, on twigs 

 of the previous season. The staminate flowers, often crowded, are produced 

 from yellowish scaly buds; they are ovoid or oblong, about 6 mm. long, consisting 

 of 6 or 8 whorls of 4 stamens each and subtended by several ovate overlapping 

 bracts; the stamens have short, flattish stalks, supporting 4 anther-cells. The 

 pistillate flowers are sohtary, erect, and sessile, surrounded by the bud-scales, 

 consisting of an ovule surrounded by a thin, fleshy layer. The fruit is ovoid or 

 obovoid, drupe-hke, separating, when ripe, from the basal scales, and consists of a 

 thin outer resinous, leathery covering close to the thick hard woody coat of the 

 ovoid or oblong, sharp-pointed seed; endosperm irregularly channeled and white. 

 The fruit of the Japanese species, Tumion nucijerum (Linnaeus) Greene, is 

 used as food, and an oil expressed from it is used in cooking. These trees 

 sprout profusely from the stumps and roots when cut. The name is Greek, and 

 was an ancient name of the Yew. The Chinese species, Tumion grande (Gordon) 

 Greene, has leaves less sharply pointed than the others. T. taxijolium is the type 

 of the genus. 



Leaves pale beneath, foetid; fruit purple; Florida tree. i. T. taxijolium. 



Leaves green beneath, aromatic; fruit purplish green; California tree. 2. T. calijornicum. 



