Overview
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Endangered |
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Description
Family Taxaceae
Trees
or shrubs
evergreen
, dioecious or rarely monoecious. Leaves spirally arranged
or decussate, linear
or lanceolate, abaxial
surface with 1 stomatal
band
on each side of prominent
or inconspicuous midvein
, resin canal present or absent. Pollen cones solitary in leaf or bract axils, or aggregated into spikelike complexes apically on branches; microsporophylls
numerous
; pollen sacs
3-9, radially arranged or on outer side of microsporophyll and then with distinct
adaxial
and abaxial surfaces; pollen nonsaccate. Seed-bearing structures solitary or paired
in axils of leaves or bracts, pedunculate
or sessile, with several overlapping or decussate bracts at base
; ovule solitary, borne at apex of floral
axis, erect
. Seed sessile or pedunculate, drupelike or nutlike, partially enclosed in a succulent, saccate
or cupular aril, or completely enclosed within aril; female gametophyte
tissue
abundant. Cotyledons 2. Germination epigeal, hypogeal in Torreya.
Five genera and 21 species; mainly N hemisphere (except Austrotaxus R. H. Compton: New Caledonia) ; four genera (one endemic) and 11 species (five endemic, one introduced
) in China.[1]
Genus Torreya
Trees
dioecious. Bark
brown to grayish brown, tinged with orange, fissured
. Branches spreading
to drooping
; twigs
nearly opposite. Leaves mostly appearing 2-ranked, rigid
; stomates abaxial
, in 2 narrow, glaucous, whitish or brownish bands
; apex sharp-pointed, spine-tipped, sharp to touch; resin canal central. Pollen cones ovoid
or oblong
, with 6--8 whorls of 4 sporophylls, each bearing 4 sporangia. Ovules 2, only 1 of each pair maturing. Seed maturing in 2 years; aril green or green with purple streaks, resinous
, leathery, thin, completely enclosing woody seed coat
, splitting
into 2 parts at maturity; albumen ruminate
. x
= 11.
Species 4(--6) : North America, Asia in China and Japan.[2]
Habitat
Ecology: Lowland forest or shrubland.[3]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Notes
Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Farjon A., 11-Jan-2006
Similar Species
Members of the genus Torreya
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 28 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
T. bilinica · T. bogotensis · T. caespitosa · T. californica (California Torreya) · T. grandiflora · T. grandis (Chinese Nutmeg Tree) · T. grandis var. fargesii · T. grandis var. grandis · T. grandis var. jiulongshanensis · T. grandis var. yunnanensis · T. jackii · T. montana · T. nancyana · T. nucifera (Japanese Torreya) · T. nucifera (L.) Siebold & Zucc. var. grandis Pilg. · T. nucifera (L.) Siebold & Zucc. var. igaensis (Doi & Morikawa) Ohwi · T. nucifera (L.) Siebold & Zucc. var. macrosperma (Miyoshi) Koidz. · T. nucifera (L.) Siebold & Zucc. 'Prostrata' · T. nucifera (L.) Siebold & Zucc. var. radicans Nakai · T. nucifera (L.) Siebold & Zucc. var. sphaerica Kimura · T. nucifera 'Spreadeagle' · T. nucifera 'Variegata' · T. nuda · T. ornata · T. paniculata · T. parvifolia · T. taxifolia (Florida Torreya) · T. taxifolia Arn. 'Argentea'
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Farjon, A., Page, C.N. and Schellevis, N. 1993. A preliminary world list of threatened conifer taxa. Biodiversity and Conservation 2: 304-326.
- Li-kuo, F. and Jian-ming, J. (eds) 1992. China Plant Red Data Book – Rare and Endangered Plants 1. Science Press, Beijing.
- National Environment Protection Bureau. 1987. The list of rare and endangered plants protected in China. Botanical Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academy Press, Beijing.
- Cheng Wan-chün, Fu Li-kuo & Chu Cheng-de. 1978. Taxaceae. In: Cheng Wan-chün & Fu Li-kuo, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 7: 437-467.
- Buchholz, J. T. 1940. The embryogeny of Torreya, with a note on Austrotaxus. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 67: 731--754.
- Burke, J. G. 1975. Human use of the California nutmeg tree, Torreya californica, and of other members of the genus. Econ. Bot. 29: 127--139.
Notes
Contributors
- Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Conifer Database 2006.
- Conifer Specialist Group 1998. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 19, 2008.
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 5857685
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14705848
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:828378-1
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 828378-1
- IUCN ID: 32379
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 897902
Footnotes
- Liguo Fu, Nan Li & Robert R. Mill "Taxaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 89. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- "Torreya". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Conifer Specialist Group 1998. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 19, 2008. [back]
