Taxus baccata L.
yew
Small tree to c. 10 m high (larger in cultivation). Bark peeling in thin scaly strips, dark reddish brown. Trunk often short with main branches arising near the ground and tending to form a dense crown. Shoots green, ribbed. Lvs with short yellowish green petiole, radial on erect shoots, ± 2-ranked on horizontal shoots. Lamina 1.2-2.5 cm × 1.5-2 mm, sometimes smaller in first lvs of season, dark green, ± shining above, with 2 broad pale green stomatal bands beneath, revolute; midrib raised on both sides; apex acute or mucronate. Fr. (with aril) 10-15 × 8-11 mm, oblong, crimson; flesh viscid. Seed 5.5-7 mm long, ovoid-ellipsoid, angled, greenish brown.
N.; S.: widespread but often scattered and rarely common.
Europe, N. Africa, W. Asia E. to Himalaya 1968
Usually modified sites in partial or deep shade, such as modified forest, plantations, scrub, shelter belts, garden shrubberies and borders, occasionally in indigenous forest clearings some distance from settlements.
Yew is one of the most important poisonous plants in N.Z. and fresh or wilted foliage has been the cause of many stock deaths (Connor 1977). Although the red aril is edible, the seeds are also toxic and ingested frs have poisoned humans.
Yew is a very common sp. in cultivation throughout N.Z. and persists in old gardens long after they have been allowed to revert to scrub or forest. The conspicuous crimson frs are often eaten and dispersed by birds. All mature wild plants seen were spreading or bushy small trees, and none corresponded to the very commonly grown T. baccata cv. 'Fastigiata', Irish yew, which is a ♀ clone and sets abundant fr. with the seeds germinating freely. Because of considerable similarity at seedling and sapling stages, yew is sometimes confused with the indigenous Prumnopitys ferrugineus (D. Don) Laubenf. (Podocarpus ferrugineus D. Don), miro. However, miro has yellow shoots and sessile or subsessile lvs.
