Because there is no documentation of the species planted, we were hoping to find Torreya taxifolia. Alas, based on Connie Barlow's experience of T. tax seed at the Biltmore Gardens and T. californica seed at 5 different wild locales in California, this grove appears to NOT be T. taxifolia. The seed resembles the more oblong seed of T. californica than the more ovate seed of T. taxifolia. And T. nucifera seed may be a smaller oblong. Nonetheless, it is heartening to see how well the genus Torreya can do on its own in this part of the country, and how well it is spreading seedlings into the surrounds.
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PHOTO O1 (flash): The 3 largest specimens at this site were all about the same size and all growing next to one another, roughly in a line. We presume that these are the survivors of the the original planting, which happened in the 1920s. Two of these 3 biggest specimens are visible here on either side of the man. The third is invisible in the background. Notice the large stump sprout stem growing out of the foreground big specimen. And notice the cluster of stump sprout stems growing out of the specimen in far left foreground. We presume this specimen germinated from a seed dropped by one of the 3 largest trees. Every stem and every green-leaved branch you can see in this photo is Torreya, and every one appeared very healthy.
PHOTO 02: Weather during our visit was dark and drizzly, 11 a.m. Here you can see the general wildness of the site. By the size of the young tuliptrees that have over-topped and now cast shade on even the oldest, tallest Torreya specimens, we estimate that this section of landscape has been untended for at least 20 years. A lower canopy branch of one of the original Torreya trees is visible as the dark-green horizontal branch at the top of the photo, right of center. The trunks of the original 3 trees are beyond the right edge of this photo. Two very young white pines (seen as fuzzy blurs) are volunteers near foreground, center and right of center.
PHOTO 03 (flash): Among the 5 explorers on this trip were Jeff Zahner (left), horticulturalist and naturalist resident of Highlands NC; Connie Barlow (center), Torreya Guardian and author of the article advocating assisted migration for Torreya taxifolia; and Lee Barnes (right), botanist and landscape consultant, resident of Waynesville NC, and heading up the Torreya Guardians program of distributing seed collected at the Biltmore Gardens grove of T. tax. All the foliage behind them, as well as the low branch hanging between them, is from the oldest individuals of Torreya at this site.
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PHOTO 04 and 05: Note the lushness of the foliage on this sample branch of an original planting, and also the view up the tree trunk.
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PHOTO 06 (flash): This is a telephoto view upward at the lowest-hanging seed at the Highlands site. We counted only 5 visible seeds; we did not have binoculars to see the sunny tree-tops, so there were likely more. This seed resembles that of the California Torreya more than the Florida Torreya. Compare seed of Florida and California Torreyas next:PHOTO 07: Seed of Torreya taxifolia at the Biltmore Gardens (in Asheville NC).
PHOTO 08: Seed of Torreya californica growing in the wild near Santa Cruz CA.
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PHOTOS 09 & 10 (flash): Self-propagated seedlings at the Highlands site. Since some seedlings were considerably distant from the branch tips of seeding adult specimens, and some even a bit uphill, we postulate that squirrels dispersed the seeds.PHOTO 11 (flash): Foreground man is touching the foliage of a foot-tall seedling. The outer canopy of parent plants are about 30 feet to left (and downslope), beyond the photo field of view. Notice paved road behind and downhill from this site.
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PHOTOS 12 (flash) & 13: Lee Barnes reaching to near the top of a sapling growing in shade. Photo 13 is a view directly up from this sapling; notice the large degree of shade under which this sapling is growing. It is located close to the outer canopy of the original specimens on the side directly opposite from the seedlings shown in photos 9-11.PHOTO 14 (flash): An intermediate age tree on the same side of the original specimens as photo 11. It is also growing in a rather shady spot.
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PHOTO 15: A remarkable young tree growing in dense deciduous shade, very near an old maple. The upper part of it is visible as the dark green foliage in the very center of the photo.PHOTO 16 (flash): The base of the young tree shown in Photo 15. Notice how well it grows on the steep bank edge, reminiscent of the wild California Torreya growing successfully on very steep slopes.
PHOTO 17: The view upward through the outer foliage of the young tree shown in previous two photos. Perhaps it is growing so well because the dense shade above it is deciduous, so the tree might do most of its growing post-leaf-fall in the autumn and prior to full leafing out in the spring. Nonetheless, based on experience in California, it would be highly unlikely for this tree (if female) to bear fruit so long as the maple is alive.
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