Gopherwood Tree Information
Images of Gopherwood:
Gopherwood grows in the following 3 states and provinces:
Florida, Georgia, North CarolinaInformation about Gopherwood:
The Torreya Taxifolia is commonly known as the Florida Torreya, Gopherwood, Polecat Wood, Savin as well as Stinking Cedar.
The currently accepted scientific name of Florida torreya is Torreya taxifolia Arn.; it is a member of the yew family (Taxaceae) . There are no recognized subspecies, varieties, or forms . Florida torreya is endemic to three counties in northern Florida (Liberty, Gadsden, and Jackson) and extends 1 mile into Decatur County, Georgia . The natural range of this species extends along the limestone bluffs on the eastern bank of the Apalachicola River and its tributaries for a 40-mile (64-km) stretch . There is a small colony of 60 trees approximately 6 miles west of the river at a site known as Dog Pond in Jackson County . Florida torreya is not an abundant species, and local occurrence is widely scattered along the Apalachicola River . There is a small, introduced population of trees located in Asheville, North Carolina, on the Biltmore Estate .Florida torreya is associated with oak-tupelo-cypress (Quercus-Nyssa-Cupressus) and oak-pine (Quercus-Pinus) forests on the eastern bank of the Apalachicola River . The longleaf pine/wiregrass (P. palustris/Aristida stricta) sandhill community is upslope from these forests . Some of the information provided here is attributed to:Esser, Lora L. 1993. Torreya taxifolia. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). , available at the USDA Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) website