California Nutmeg 



127 



satiny; its specific gravity is about 0.51. It is very durable in contact with the 

 soil and is locally used for fence-posts; when cut down the stumps sprout freely, 

 thereby preventing, in a measure, its extermination. It is partly hardy in the mid- 

 dle and eastern States, but does not develop the beauty attained in its native 

 haunts. It is most desirable that the small area in Florida inhabited by this 

 tree and by the Florida yew, should become a reservation. 



2. CALIFORNIA NUTMEG — Tumion califomicum (Torrey) Greene 

 Torreya californica Torrey 



This tree is much larger than the Florida Torreya and has a more agreeable 

 odor; it does not form forests, but occurs sparingly over a wide area in north-cen- 

 tral California, especially along mountain streams, both in the coast ranges, and on 

 the western side of the Sierra 

 Nevada, from Butte county 

 to Tulare county, at elevations 

 of from 900 to 1500 meters, 

 reaching a maximum height of 

 30 meters with a trunk diame- 

 ter of 1.2 meters in the north- 

 -em part of its range. It is 

 also called CaUfomia Torreya, 

 California false nutmeg. Coast 

 nutmeg. Yew, and Stinking ce- 

 dar. 



The branches are in whorls, 

 slender, spreading, or shghtly 

 drooping, forming a magnifi- 

 cent conic or round-topped tree. 

 The bark is about i cm. thick, 

 deeply an4 broadly furrowed 

 into somewhat irregular ridges, 

 covered with long rather loose 

 scaly plates, brownish or yel- ^''=- 98- - California Nutmeg. 



low-brown. The twigs are slender, light green, soon becoming darker and finally 

 red-brown; buds ovoid, 6 mm. long, sharp-pointed, their scales thick, ovate, 

 sharp-pointed, reddish. The leaves are Unear, straight or slightly curved, 3 to 7 

 cm. long, tapering toward the sharp-pointed apex, abruptly narrowed at the base, 

 entire and revolute on the margin, thick and firm, bright dark green and shin- 

 ing above, paler and with 2 longitudinal grooves beneath. The staminate flowers 

 are obovoid, about 8 mm. long, their scales thin, broadly ovate. The pistillate 

 flowers are nearly 6 mm. long, their scales oblong-ovate and blunt. The fruit is 

 ovoid or oblong-ovoid, 2.5 cm. long, light green, with purplish streaks or blotches, 



