''Torreya grandis'' () is a species of

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

in either the family Taxaceae, or Cephalotaxaceae. Common names include Chinese Torreya and Chinese nutmeg yew, which refers to its edible seeds that resemble nutmeg and to its yew-like foliage, although it is not related to either nutmeg nor to the true yews belonging to the genus '' Taxus''. Originating in the Jurassic period, about 170 million years ago, it is known as a "living fossil". ''T. grandis'' is a large tree that can attain height of , and possibly as high as . ''T. grandis'' is endemic to eastern and south-eastern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

; it is found in the coastal provinces Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu, as well as in Anhui, Guizhou, Hunan, and Jiangxi inland. Its natural habitat are mountains and open valleys, often by streams, between

ASL American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is express ...

. ''T. grandis'' is a precious tree species with multiple values. According to survey data, its economic life is more than a thousand years. ''Torreya grandis'' cv. Merrillii is a cultivar with a history going back to the Tang dynasty. It is believed to originate from the mountains of northeast Zhejiang.

Uses

The nuts are edible or can be pressed for oil, and have high nutritional value. In traditional Chinese medicine, ''T. grandis'' has the effects of "eliminating malnutrition" (), "moisturizing the lungs and smoothing the intestines" (), "resolving phlegm and relieving cough" (), "treating five hemorrhoids and removing three intestinal parasites" (), "beneficial to muscles and bones" (), and so on. According to modern chemical and medical analysis, ''T. grandis'' does have a number of benefits and curative effects on the human body; for example, it has an inhibitory effect on

lymphoblastic leukemia Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the lymphoid line of blood cells characterized by the development of large numbers of immature lymphocytes. Symptoms may include feeling tired, pale skin color, fever, easy bleeding or bruisin ...

, and also has the effects of regulating blood lipids, softening cardiovascular and cerebrovascular, and anti-oxidation. In addition, the paclitaxel in leaves, bark, and

aril An aril (pronounced ), also called an arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed. An arillode or false aril is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the see ...

s can be used to treat a number of types of cancer. The

linalyl acetate Linalyl acetate, an organic compound, is the acetate ester of linalool. phytochemical found in many flowers and spice plants. It is one of the principal components of the essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liqu ...

extracted from

s is the raw material for refining

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

. The wood is used in construction and high-quality furniture or sculpture, as well as in the production of high-quality go boards. In Europe and North America, ''T. grandis'' is used as an ornamental tree.

History

''T. grandis'' was recorded in the first surviving Chinese dictionary, ''

Erya The ''Erya'' or ''Erh-ya'' is the first surviving Chinese dictionary. Bernhard Karlgren (1931:49) concluded that "the major part of its glosses must reasonably date from the 3rd century BC." Title Chinese scholars interpret the first title chara ...

'', as early as the 2nd century BC. In addition to ancient agricultural and Chinese medicine books such as '' Shennong Ben Cao Jing'', '' Xinxiu bencao'' or '' Bencao Gangmu'', it is described and cherished in ancient Chinese poetry. In the Song dynasty, processed salt and pepper nutmeg-yew (), sugar ball nutmeg-yew (), and nutmeg-yew pastry () were listed as court tributes, and it was also a treasure on the dining table of senior scholar-officials. ''T. grandis'' has been cultivated for more than 1,500 years, but it was only sporadically planted because of the low survival rate, slow growth rate and low fruiting rate. Modern research on ''T. grandis'' only began in the 1920s. The industry started in the 1970s. After decades of research by forestry experts, the relevant problems have been gradually solved. ''T. grandis'' can be regarded as a new industry in the 21st century. It has changed from a traditional industry to a technological industry, and it is developing vigorously. Among the scholars who devoted themselves to ''T. grandis'', Professor Wu Jiasheng () and Professor Dai Wensheng () were rated as "The most 'beautiful' scientific and technical personnel" () by the CCP Central Publicity Department. The first European to discover ''Torreya grandis'' was Robert Fortune, who was hiking in the mountains of northeast Zhejiang in search of seeds, particularly those of the "golden pine-tree" (''

Larix kaempferi ''Larix kaempferi'', the Japanese larch or karamatsu () in Japanese, is a species of larch native to Japan, in the mountains of Chūbu and Kantō regions in central Honshū.Farjon, A. (1990). ''Pinaceae. Drawings and Descriptions of the Genera' ...

''). Encountering first two young cultivated trees, he was guided to a valley with mature trees and purchased the seeds. The seeds brought to England could be grown successfully there.

References

File:Torreya grandis 20090130.jpg, ''Torreya grandis'' File:Torreya grandis Merrillii1.jpg, ''Torreya grandis'' close-up File:Torreya grandis Nusseibe.jpg, ''Torreya grandis'' "nuts" Grandis Trees of China Endemic flora of China Edible plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{conifer-stub