Taxus L. (1753) the yew, in the family Taxaceae, contains around 8 species in the northern hemisphere.

Description Trees to 26m, usually with wide-spreading branches. The leaves are evergreen, dark green above, paler beneath, flat, rather soft, and without a resin canal, 1–3mm wide, in 2 uneven rows on the sides of the twig. Yew leaves are particularly poisonous to horses and cattle, but regularly eaten by sheep and deer. The male flowers are small, around 4mm long, globular, and creamy yellow, opening in early spring. Females are small, green, near the tips of shoots, usually on separate trees. Pollination is by wind. The cones are single seeded, surrounded by a red, fleshy aril, which is sweet, sticky, and edible. The seeds are poisonous, 5–6mm long.

Key Recognition Features The flat, dark green, 2-ranked leaves are characteristic of most yews. Torreya differs in its much stiffer leaves. The red, fleshy fruit are found only in yews.

Evolution and Relationships The family Taxaceae contains 4 genera, one of which, Austrotaxus Compton, is confined to New Caledonia, a well-known repository for ancient conifers. Pseudotaxus W. C. Cheng, another relict, is found exclusively in southern China.

Ecology and Geography In forests and woods, sometimes as an understorey beneath deciduous trees, sometimes as pure stands. In North America T. brevifolia Nutt. is found on the west coast and T. canadensis Marshall in the northeast. A third, very rare species, T. floridana Nutt. ex Chapman is confined to the Apalachicola river in Florida. Taxus globosa Schlecht. is found in Mexico and Honduras. The European yew, T. baccata L. extends from western Ireland eastwards to Iran. The other species occur from the Himalayas to Japan and Sumatra, with one in Mexico.

Comment Ancient yews in Britain are nearly always found in old churchyards, and many are thought to pre-date the existing churches, and may even be Roman in origin, since they were used in Roman burial rites. The trunks of old yews are usually hollow, which makes them difficult to date accurately, but the famous tree at Fortingall in Perthshire is now thought to be 4000–5000 years old. The tree in Selborne churchyard in Hampshire was measured by Gilbert White (1720–93) in 1789 at 23ft (7m) in circumference. In 1987 it was 7.87m, before it was blown down in a gale in 1990. This increase of almost 90cm in 200 years suggests great age for the many ancient yew trees with girths of over 10m.
Yew staves were used for English longbows, but most were imported from Spain, where yews grow faster and straighter; boxes of imported staves were found in the wreck of Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose. Yew timber is now relatively rare, as it is not grown commercially, but has been used in table veneers and in small pieces in other furniture in England. Yew bark, especially from T. brevifolia, and the leaves T. baccata are sources of taxol, used with good effect to combat some cancers. Yews are often planted in gardens, especially for hedges and as specimens. Upright or Irish yews, both golden and green, are common; the original Irish yews were planted at Florence Court, County Fermanagh in 1778.