Scientific Name:
Taxus baccata
Pronunciation:
TACKS-us buh-KAY-tuh
Common Name:
English yew
Family Name:
Taxaceae
Plant Type:
Conifer
Key ID Features:
Medium sized tree 10-20m tall (unless a cultivar), primarily dioecious; leaves arranged spirally but appearing 2-ranked, needle-like, flat, emerge light green then changing to dark green, glossy, 2-3(-4)cm long x 2-3mm wide; pollen cones round, 3-6mm wide; seed cones each with a fleshy red aril nearly fully surrounding a single green seed, oval 8-15mm long. Conifers.org
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
10 - 15m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Africa, Central / west Asia, Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 6: (-23 to -18 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Alkaline, Well-drained
Water Use:
Summer dry
Landscape Uses:
Sheared hedge (Caution: poisonous parts)
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown may include T. 'Dovastoniana'. Also on campus: T. 'Fastigiata' and T. 'Repandens' (see separate entries).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Needle-like
Arrangement:
Spiraled
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Shapes:
Acicular, Linear
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
n/a (male cone)
Flower Morphology:
Dioecious plant
Colour (petals):
Male cone, No flowers, Yellow, Brown
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Additional Info:
Dioecious. Males and females produce small yellow flowers in the spring
Fruit Type:
Cone (winged seeds)
Fruit Colour:
Red
Fruiting Time:
Additional Info:
Showy, Accessory tissue, Single ovoid-oblong seed about 8mm long, partially enveloped by a fleshy cup-shaped disk called an aril.
Bark Morphology:
Exfoliating, Multi-stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Red, Brown
Additional Info:
Flaking in small pieces
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
Location(s):
- (PPL) Pine PLanting : 226
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLW) Turf Field Lab West : cv. Repandens
- (WDH) Wark-Dumais House : cv. Fastigiata