Your basket is empty.
Scientific name: Taxus floridana Nuttall ex Chapman 1860
Synonyms: Taxus baccata subsp. floridana Pilg., Taxus baccata var. floridana (Nutt. ex Chapm.) Pilg., Taxus baccata var. floridana Elwes in Elwes & A.Henry, Taxus canadensis subsp. floridana (Nutt. ex Chapm.) Silba, Taxus canadensis var. floridana (Chapm.) Silba, Taxus globosa var. floridana (Nutt. ex Chapm.) Spjut
Common names: Florida yew
Shrub, or tree to 6-(10) m tall, branching near the base or with a short trunk to 0.2(-0.4) m in diameter. Crown narrowly dome-shaped, open and irregular, with stout or slender, upwardly angled to horizontal branches. Winter bud scales pointed, not keeled, generally shed within a year of shoot emergence. Needles dark green above, (1-)2-2.6 cm long, (1-)1.5-2.2 mm wide, the stomatal band beneath pale green, narrowing gradually to the soft-pointed tip. Plants dioecious. Pollen cones (3-)4-6 mm long. Seeds slightly flattened, about 10 mm long, conspicuous within the dull red aril.
Northwestern Florida. Understory of mixed hardwood forests and cedar swamps in moist ravines; 15-40 m.
Red List Category & Criteria: Critically Endangered
Taxus floridana has a restricted extent of occurrence (EOO) of less than 100 km². It occurs at a single location as the principal threats, a lack of regeneration and the impact of an increasing deer population, affect all known subpopulations and localities. There is a continued decline in the quality of habitat in some parts of its range. Adult mortality is greater than recruitment leading to an overall decline in the number of mature individuals. It is therefore listed as Critically Endangered.
Almost all subpopulations of Taxus floridana are comprised mainly of large multi-stemmed individuals. Although seed is produced, virtually no new recruitment has occurred during the past two decades. A study of four subpopulations over the last 27 years indicates that adult mortality is greater than recruitment. Individuals only persist through layering and sprouting. Stem densities may range from several hundred to several thousand per hectare. Small stems are particularly vulnerable to browsing and rubbing by deer.
Almost entirely restricted to the mid and lower slopes within a few ravines along the Apalachicola River Bluffs area. Soils are generally moist and acidic. It occurs with a rich assemblage of evergreen and deciduous species including another threatened endemic conifer, Torreya taxifolia. Florida yew is generally shade tolerant and very fire sensitive.
Clear felling of Pinus palustris forests during the 19th century along with selective logging of the slope forests in the early 1900s may have resulted in range reduction and habitat fragmentation during the 19th and 20th centuries. The most immediate threat facing Florida yew is the lack of regeneration; a causal agent for this has not yet been identified. Rubbing and browsing by white tailed deer is also a problem as it may lead to the death of individual stems. As hunting within protected areas is prohibited, deer numbers within these areas increase during the hunting season (winter), resulting in increased pressure on the yew trees.
The Florida yew is rare in cultivation and apparently only grown by a few local nurseries in Florida. Due to its suitability as a garden ornamental or hedge shrub and in view of its threatened status, its cultivation should be recommended.
The state of Florida lists Florida yew as endangered while at a national level, The Nature Conservancy lists it as imperiled. Florida yew occurs in several protected areas such as the Nature Conservancy's Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve and the Torreya State Park. Several populations are on private land without specific protection.
Copyright © Aljos Farjon, James E. Eckenwalder, IUCN, Conifers Garden. All rights reserved.
