Taxus baccata Yew (Taxaceae) Evergreen tree

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Taxus baccata
Yew
Evergreen tree
(1 Page of 5)

The Taxus baccata plant species is found in Britain. It is a member of the Taxaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Yew.

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

Latin Name:  Taxus baccata
Common Name:  Yew
Family:  Taxaceae
Author:  L.

Known Hazards:  All parts of the plant, except the flesh of the fruit, are highly poisonous, having a paralyzing affect on the heart[1, 4, 7, 10, 19, 65].

Mature Height:  15   Mature Width:  10

Habitat:  Woods and scrub, usually on limestone. It sometimes forms pure stands in sheltered sites on chalk in the southeast and on limestone in the northwest[17].

Cultivation Notes: A very easy plant to grow, it is extremely tolerant of cold and heat, sunny and shady positions, wet and dry soils, exposure and any pH[200]. Thrives in almost any soil, acid or alkaline, as long as it is well-drained[1, 11, 200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Sensitive to soil compaction by roads etc[186, 200]. Very shade tolerant[17, 81]. Tolerates urban pollution[200]. In general they are very tolerant of exposure, though plants are damaged by severe maritime exposure[K]. A very cold hardy plant when dormant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c[200]. The fresh young shoots in spring, however, can be damaged by frosts[186, K]. Plants are dioecious, though they sometimes change sex and monoecious trees are sometimes found[81, 186]. Male and female trees must be grown if fruit and seed is required[K]. The fruit is produced mainly on the undersides of one-year old branches[200]. A very long lived tree[1, 7, 11, 185], one report suggests that a tree in Perthshire is 1500 years old, making it the oldest plant in Britain. Another report says that trees can be up to 4000 years old[11]. It is, however, slow growing and usually takes about 20 years to reach a height of 4.5 metres[186]. Young plants occasionally grow 30cm in a year but this soon tails off and virtually no height increase is made after 100 years[185]. A very ornamental tree, there are many named varieties[200]. Very resistant to honey fungus[8, 88, 200], but susceptible to phytopthera root rot[81, 88]. The bark is very soft and branches or even the whole tree can be killed if the bark is removed by constant friction such as by children climbing the tree[186]. Plants produce very little fibrous root and should be planted in their final positions when still small[200]. The fruit is greatly relished by thrushes[186].

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Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'.
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