Torreya californica

Identification

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Description

An evergreen tree that looks like a minature Yew or glossy leaved redwood. In a fiberglass shade house where the temperatures are moderate and the humidities are high it grows ok. If you have a redwood doing great this will do great. Moist fast draining soil in part-shade to shade is where it wants to be. The more summer heat it has the more shade it needs. The area it is native to gets about 35-40\" of rainfall each year. They do the best where there is a lot of summer humidity but not in rainfall. Cold tolerance is about 25 F., 20 with overhead protection. It will take heat as long as it is in the shade and has a source of moisture. It is too cold and too hot for it here outside.