In this vicinity on the Apalachicola River, pioneer Florida planter and botanist Hardy Bryan Croom discovered one of the rarest coniferous trees, Torreya taxifolia, about 1835 and named it for Dr. John Torrey, a prominent American botanist. Only four other species exist, and they are found in the widely separated areas of China, Japan, and California. Croom’s promising botanical career ended in 1837 when he perished in the wreck of the steamship “Home” off Cape Hatteras.