The California nutmeg tree, whose scientific name is torreya californica, is a tall evergreen tree with a height of 15 to 25 meters and a trunk diameter of 0.5 to 1 meter.
Torreya californica is a coniferous species endemic to California and originates from mountain habitats on the western slopes of the California coastal range or, farther from the coast, the California Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The trunk projects horizontally up the steep slopes of narrow canyons, with branches reaching straight up to let sunlight in.
The leaves are needle-like, stiff, and sharply pointed, 3-5 cm long and 3 mm wide, arranged in a spiral, but twisted at the base and flattened on either side of the shoot.
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