Torreya Tree Historical Marker - Bristol, Florida - Florida Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The Marker Reads:

In this vicinity on the Apalachicola River, Hardy Bryan Croom, pioneer Florida planter and botanist, discovered one of the rarest of coniferous trees, Torreya taxifolia circa 1835, and named it for Dr. John Torreya, prominent American botanist. Only four other species exist, but they are in the widely separated area's of China, Japan and California. Croom's promising botanical career ended in 1837 when he perished in the wreck of the steam-ship "Home" off Cape Hatteras.



The park is named for a species of rare Torreya tree that occurs only on the bluffs along the Apalachicola River. This once plentiful tree was nearly destroyed by disease in the early 1960s and may be doomed to extinction. Other rare plants found in the park include the Florida yew tree and the U.S. Champion winged elm. The forests of the park include river swamps, hardwood hammocks and high pinelands. Each community contains a different set of trees, shrubs and wildflowers which offer variety during each season of the year. The bluffs and ravines are forested by many hardwood trees that commonly occur in the Appalachian Mountains of Georgia. These hardwoods provide the finest display of fall color found in Florida.

Marker Number: F-46 Date: 1961 County: Liberty Marker Type: Roadside Sponsored or placed by: Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials Website: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/01/2013 Markerman62 visited it