Trees to 12 m tall; trunk to 20 cm d.b.h.; bark gray or dark gray, falling off in thick flakes exposing pale brown cortex. Leafy branchlets horizontal or pendulous, rhombic-elliptic, ± flabellate or broadly obovate in outline, 7-9 × 5-10 cm, axis green turning greenish brown in 1st year, thereafter reddish brown and glossy. Leaves borne at 20-60° to branchlet axis, adjacent leaves (especially distal ones), with blades twisted through ca. 90° so that their surfaces nest within each other; petiole 1-2 mm, twisted; blade deep shining green adaxially, linear to linear-lanceolate, very gradually tapered from proximal 1/3 into apex, distally ± falcate, (2.5-)3-7(-9) cm × (2.5-)3-3.8(-4) mm, leathery, with 2 raised ridges extending from base to near apex, midvein extremely indistinct adaxially, strongly raised abaxially with a flat band on either side, whole midvein band ca. 1.2 mm wide, stomatal bands with silver-gray powder initially but finally brown, 0.1-0.2 mm wide, ca. 12 rows, marginal bands 0.5-0.7 mm wide, base cuneate, slightly asymmetric, strongly twisted, margin thickened abaxially and slightly downcurved but not revolute, apex cuspidate, cusp slender, tapered, 1-1.5 mm, often breaking off. Aril white powdery, with small mucro. Seed obovoid, 2-3 × ca. 1.2 cm; female gametophyte tissue deeply ruminate within. Seed maturity autumn.

A vulnerable species. Torreya jackii is unlike the other Chinese members of the genus and is remarkably similar to Cephalotaxus fortunei, from which it can be distinguished by its sessile seed-bearing structures and by the peculiar, strongly twisted leaf arrangement.

The wood is very fragrant, and is used to make agricultural implements, utensils, and handicrafts. The leaves are also very aromatic when bruised or burned, giving off a fragrance like sandalwood oil.

Lectotypified by LIN Qi & CAO Ziyu. 2007. Acta Bot. Yunnan. 29(3): 292. 2007.

* Woods; 400-1000 m. N Fujian, NE Jiangxi, S Zhejiang.