Abstract
Taxus floridana Nutt. ex Chapm. is a slow growing, evergreen, coniferous plant restricted along the Apalachicola river in north-western Florida. Owing to its confinement to a small area and its declining population the specie is regarded as critically endangered plant according to IUCN. Besides its slow growth, many factors led to severe decline in the population of this species in past few decades. Ripened cones of T. Floridana are an important source of food for many bird species, beavers chew off the tops of young stems and white tailed-deer also rubs on these trees. Florida yew is also highly sensitive to fire. T. floridana also contains an important anticancer drug “Paclitaxel” which is also found in Taxus brevifolia and T. Canadensis. Paclitaxel is used in the treatment of various forms of cancer. These entire factors led to serious decline in the population of this species in past few decades. Florida yew is ideal to be used as hedge or in foundation planting but it seldom appears in nurseries. T. Floridana should be used in home landscapes in order to avoid its extinction. T. floridana can also be propagated through stem cuttings. It has been observed that mature wood cuttings taken in winter root well under mist. Several conservation studies and efforts were made to conserve it like other species of the same genus, but a more comprehensive and multipleapproach conservation strategy is required to ensure its conservation. Long term monitoring programs and propagation studies may prove fruitful in conserving such critically endangered species.
Highlights
Distribution of Taxus floridana Taxus floridana Nutt.exChapm. is the scientific name of Florida Yew [1]
Taxus floridana (Fig. 1) is endemic species of Florida. This plant is restricted to a small area of bluffs and ravines along the Apalachicola River in north-western Florida (Fig.2)
These habitats typically lie at an altitude of 15-30m, where it occurs with an even rarer endemic conifer species Torreya taxifolia [2, 3]
Summary
Distribution of Taxus floridana Taxus floridana Nutt.exChapm. is the scientific name of Florida Yew [1]. Studies on conservation of T. floridana Owing to the slow growth of Florida yew and endemic to a very small area of hardwood ravine forests of Apalachicola River Bluffs region of northern Florida[14,15,16,17,18], the species is considered globally rare [19, 20] and endangered in the state of Florida [21, 22]. Stochastic matrix models projected declines in all population’s growth rates They concluded that conservation efforts directed at long-lived, slow growing rare plants like Taxus floridana should protect established reproductive individuals and further enhance survival of individuals in other life history stages such as juveniles that often do not directly contribute to population growth [19]. It has been observed that mature wood cuttings taken in winter root well under mist
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
