California nutmeg Taxaceae Torreya californica Torr.   symbol: TOCA
	Leaf: Persistent, linear-lanceolate flat needles, 1 to 3 inches long, 2-ranked, stiff with a very sharp point. Strongly aromatic. Flower: Dioecious; male flowers are small, elliptical, pale yellow, and occur at the base of the leaves; female flowers are tiny, consisting of an ovule surrounded by a fleshy sac and are borne on current year twigs. Fruit: An aril rather than a cone; similar to a very large olive with a fleshy outer green covering and an inner, yellow-brown, thick walled seed. Takes two years to mature. Twig: Slender, mostly paired, yellow-green when young turning reddish brown as they mature. Bark: Mature bark is thin and gray-brown with shallow, irregular fissures and scaly ridges. Form: Small to moderate sized tree (20 to 70 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet in diameter) with conical or rounded crown depending on age and growing conditions, slender, spreading, and somewhat drooping branches.
	USDAFS Additional Silvics - USDA Plants Database Torreya californica is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting California nutmeg (opens a new window).