Gopher Wood Trees

The gopher wood is a rare tree native to northwestern Florida. Botanically known as Torreya taxifolia, this evergreen tree can reach 40 feet tall with a 20 foot spread. Now nearly extinct, gopher wood trees once filled the bluffs along a 40-mile stretch on the eastern banks of the Appalachicola River.

Description

The gopher wood tree is a graceful conifer with an upright, broad conical growth habit and slender, drooping branches. The plant's glossy, dark-green, needle-like leaves emit an odor of turpentine when brushed or crushed. Purple, plum-shaped fruits appear on the tree in late summer.

History

Vast concentrations of gopher wood trees were discovered in 1833 near the Aspalaga Crossing on the Apalachicola River by botanist Hardy Bryan Croom. Local settlers soon found that the tree's fine-grained, lightweight, yet strong wood made good fencing and cabinet material. Gopher wood trees were also used as Christmas trees. In addition to their depletion by humans, Torreya taxifolia trees experienced widespread fatal disease beginning in the late 1950s. Estimates put the number of gopher wood trees at 600,000 during the early 1800s, while today there are about 200.

Efforts are underway to save gopher wood trees through planting new trees and caring for existing trees. Concentrations of gopher wood trees are located at the Torreya State Park, and there are trees growing in North Carolina at the historic Biltmore Estate.

Growing Requirements

The gopher wood tree grows best in the climate found in its native Florida Panhandle region, consisting of a warm, humid, wet spring and summer and a dry fall and winter. The gopher wood tree requires a location with full sun or partial shade and fertile, slightly acidic, well-drained soil. Water the tree in the spring and summer in the absence of rainfall when the first 2 inches of soil dries. Fertilize once in mid-winter with a well-balanced food designed for trees.

Diseases and Pests

Eleven species of fungi within the genera of Pysalospora and Macrophoma attack the gopher wood tree, causing stem and needle blights that are fatal if left untreated. Infected Torreya taxilfolia trees treated with the fungicide Maneb recover quickly and resume healthy growth.

Many animals eat gopher wood tree seeds, and others damage seedlings and growing trees. Feral pigs found in the wild uproot and kill gopher wood tree seedlings, and deer rub their antlers on small trees, sometimes destroying them.

Fun Fact

Legend says that the Torreya taxifolia's wood is the same gopher wood from which Noah from Biblical times built his ark.

References

• USDA Forest Service; Torreya taxifolia; Lora L. Esser; 1993
• USDA Forest Service; Florida Torreya; Richard Stalter
• Explore Southern History; The Florida Torreya - Gopher Wood of the Apalachicola; Dale Cox; 2008
• University of Florida IFAS Extension; Torreya Taxifolia - Florida Torreya; Edward F. Gilman, et al.; 2009
• "The Southern Living Garden Book"; Steve Bender, et al., 1998

Resources

• Torreya Guardians: Efforts to Save Torreya Taxifolia;