Woody > Torreya > Torreya fargesii > Torreya fargesii
Torreya fargesii
Farges Nutmeg Tree
Origin: Native to Taiwan and China.
Mike's
Opinion
"
Torreya fargesii’s hardiness zones include USDA 6a-9b, UK zone H7, and Canadian zones 6a-9a. Torreya fargesii can survive temperatures as low as -23°C or -10°F and highs up to 30°C or 86°F. This tree is up to 20 m tall and has a 1 m diameter at breast height.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Cephalotaxaceae |
| Genus |
| Torreya |
| Species |
| fargesii |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (evergreen) |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 6a - 9b |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 6a - 9a |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H7 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-23) - 30 |
| Temperature (°F) |
| (-10) - 86 |
| Height |
| 20 m |
| Spread |
| 1 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Torreya fargesii is a slow-growing evergreen tree or shrub that can grow to a height of 20m with bright green or slightly blue foliage. |
| Landscape |
| Torreya fargesii can be incorporated into a landscape as a showpiece and is a beautiful, less common tree species. The tree was used for its lumber which is resistant to rot and strong, making it extremely useful in the construction of homes, infrastructure, and furniture. The logging of this tree has been banned in many places but continues. |
| Cultivation |
| Torreya fargesii is an extremely tolerant and hardy plant. Torreya fargesii can survive in most conditions but for best growth, the tree should be grown in a balanced garden soil with a slightly acidic pH (a slightly alkaline pH can be tolerated). Torreya fargesii enjoys shade and prefers a sheltered area away from strong wind. Moist and hot summers are best for growth. |
| Shape |
| Torreya fargesii has a dense crown that becomes irregular and dome-shaped as the tree gets older. The branches protrude from the trunk horizontally or downward and come in densely packed pairs that have slightly separate foliage colours and angles. |
| Growth |
| Slow |
| ID Characteristic |
| Torreya fargesii’s branchlets are bright green that after one year turn a yellow tinge. The foliage is a bright green sometimes with a blueish shine on the top of the leaves. The bark of Torreya fargesii is a grey to pale brown that has irregular vertical fissures and is sometimes flaking. |
| Pests |
| No notable pests or diseases. |
| Habitat |
| Torreya fargesii can be found in the forests from southeast to north-central China. Torreya fargesii can be found at elevations 1000-3400 m in all manners of forests and enjoys shady moist riverside soil. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| The bark of Torreya fargesii is extremely attractive, boasting an interesting irregular pattern of vertical fissures and a colour ranging from a dark grey to a pale brown. The bark of this tree is sometimes flaking. The branches when young are a bright green and change to a yellowish colour after one year of growth. The branchlets are oblong to and elliptic-oblong and have a size of 5-13 cm x 3-7.5 cm. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| The buds of Torreya fargesii are quite small and occur a the very tips of the branchlets. The buds, like the bark, are greyish brown. |
| Leaf Description |
| The leaves of Torreya fargesii protrude from the branchlets at a 55-88° angle in a horizontal plane. The petiole is 0.5-1 mm long and the leaves themselves are 12-36 mm x 2-4 mm. Leaves have deeply sunken brown stomatal bands beneath the leaf. |
| Flower Description |
| Torreya fargesii are dioecious and the female gametophyte tissues are contained inside the stomatal bands on the underside of the leaf. Male trees produce pollen cones that are pale yellow and ovoid on the underside of lateral branches, ranging in size between 5-6 mm x 4.5-5 mm. The cones come in bunches of 4-12 in rows of 4. The tree is pollinated by the wind. |
| Fruit Description |
| Torreya fargesii produces a pale green or whitish powdery aril that contains an ovoid to ellipsoid seed 1.5-2.5 cm in diameter. The seed matures between September to October. |
| Colour Description |
| Torreya fargesii’s structure contains the colours: grey, brown, white, blue, yellow, and green. Grey can be found on the bark and terminal buds. Brown is found in the bark, terminal buds, seed, and stomatal bands. White is found in the powder substance on the aril. A blueish shine can be seen on the upper side of the leaves. Yellow can be seen on the foliage and bark of year-old branchlets. |
| Texture Description |
| The texture of the plant is coriaceous and the bark is a coarse rough texture. |
| Propagation |
| Torreya fargesii is propagated by seed and requires two full summers to mature. The plant is dioecious, requiring a male and female plant for propagation. Pollination occurs between April and May with the maturity of seed and fruit between September and October the second year. Seed requires cold stratification and can take 18 months to germinate. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer) |
| Torreya fargesii is used to produce an edible seed and oil. Torreya fargesii was also used for logging and the construction of infrastructure and furniture however this has been outlawed in many places. Another use for the tree today is for reforestation projects in China. |
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