Torreya jackii

Botanical Description

Torreya jackii is an evergreen shrub or a tree that can grow up to 12 metres tall. The bole can be up to 20cm in diameter[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ]. The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials. This species occurs at much lower elevations than the other Torreya species and it will certainly have undergone significant reductions in the past 150 years (three generations) due to habitat clearance for expanding agriculture and general clearance of all such habitat in the past. Most of the plants are reported to be fairly small which seems unusual for a Torreya species, hence it is likely that the larger specimens have all been logged and what we are seeing today are generally younger trees. It is suspected that the population reduction has exceeded 50%. Due to the logging ban (as of 2001) and declaration of a number of nature reserves, the decline may continue at a lower rate. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].