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].

Edible Uses: Fruit - raw[1, 2, 65, 81, 158]. Very sweet and gelatinous, most people find it delicious though some find it sickly[K]. A number of people who like the flavour do not like the texture which is often described as being 'snotty'[K]. All other parts of this plant, including the seed, are highly poisonous. When eating the fruit you should spit out the large seed found in the fruit's centre. Should you swallow the whole seed it will just pass straight through you without harm. If it is bitten into, however, you will notice a very bitter flavour and the seed should immediately be spat out or it could cause some problems. The fruit is a fleshy berry about 10mm in diameter and containing a single seed[200]. Some reports suggest using the bark as a tea substitute[158, 183], this would probably be very unwise.

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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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