Torreya taxifolia
at Highlands Biological Station
Western Carolina University
Highlands, North Carolina
https://highlandsbiological.org/
As of 2024, Dr. James T. Costa is Executive Director of HBS. He is in Department of Biology Western Carolina University. Jason Love is an associate director. Torreya Guardians has good communications with both. Torreya Guardians records show these observations and actions with the Torreya taxifolia specimens on their grounds: In autumn of 2015, Torreya Guardians donated to staff (including the propagator, Russell Funderburk) and affiliates some hundreds of seeds of wild genetics that had been donated to us by staff at the Blairsville GA ex situ planting under the jurisdiction of State Botanical Garden of Georgia (Athens GA). This was the final year that seeds from that site were donated to us.
JULY 31, 2024, Jim Costa responded to Connie Barlow re a form letter she had sent to the botanical gardens that we had already sent seeds to or that otherwise were in good communication with us. Connie was alerting all gardens to the newly established FWS regulations that released endangered species from being constrained within the geographic bounds of "historical range." She was suggesting to all that had existing Torreya specimens on their grounds to apply for certification as an official "experimental garden" and to communicate the status of their plants directly to the FWS for inclusion in the official "Species Status Assessment", which precedes the writing of an official "Recovery Plan" update (which had been launched for Florida torreya that same summer.
ABOVE: Dr. Helen Regnery, 2024, standing next to the tallest Florida torreya at the station. Thus far, there is no evidence of seed production on any of the specimens.
