Card 19 – Upland Ecosystems

What kind of tree is this?

Clues

Evergreen conifer
Relatively short tree that can grow up to about 25 feet
Has irregularly oriented branches
Leaves are thin, flat, slightly sickle-shaped, 1-2.9 cm long, with a bluntly acute tip
Seed cone is berry-like with a single scale that develops into a soft 1 cm red seedcoat covering called an aril
The cone contains a single dark brown seed
Pollen cones are globular, 4 mm wide, and produced on the underside of the shoots in early Spring

A. Pond Pine

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B. Florida Yew

Correct!
Scientific name: Taxus floridana
Other features:
* Endemic to a small area of under 10 km2 on the eastern side of the Apalachicola River
* Only yew native to Florida
* Endangered in Florida
* Not commercially harvested in Florida due to low availability and protected status
* Not used in commercial landscaping
* Bark contains taxol, a compound harvested from the Pacific yew for cancer treatment
* Taxol makes the seeds and foliage extremely poisonous
* Tolerant of summer heat and humidity
* Shade tolerant

C. Sand Pine

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D. Florida Torreya

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