Taxonomy

Division:

Coniferophyta | - Conifers

Family:

Taxaceae

Genus:

Torreya

Species:

Torreya californica

USDA Symbol:

TOCA

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Growth Habit:

Tree

Height:

2500 cm

Light Requirements:

Shade

Drought Tolerance:

Medium

Bloom Months:

mar,apr,may

Garden & Ecology Notes

Wildlife Value:

birds, small mammals

Deer Resistant:

Yes

Fragrant:

Yes

Fire Notes:

Occurs in moist, shaded canyon habitats with low fire frequency. Not adapted to fire; populations vulnerable to fire damage.

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:

rich, well-drained loamy soil

pH:

5.5 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)

Drainage:

excellent drainage required

Moisture:

consistently moist

Notes:

prefers shaded areas in native habitat

Propagation & Germination

Stratification:

Warm then cold/moist stratification (double dormancy) — 90–180 days

Germination Time:

180–365 days

Notes:

Seeds have deep dormancy requiring warm stratification followed by cold stratification. Germination is slow and erratic, often taking over a year.

The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI