Taxus baccata, Common yew, English yew, Irish Yew, European yew

Yew Or Common Yew scientifically known as Taxus baccata is a species of an evergreen tree in the Taxaceae (Yew family). The plant is native to western, central and southern Europe (including the British Isles), northwest Africa, northern Iran, and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may now be known as common yew, English yew, Irish Yew, or European yew. It is primarily grown as an ornamental. Most parts of the plant are poisonous, and consumption of the foliage can result in death.

 

Genus name is an old Latin name for yews. Specific epithet means fruit-bearing in reference to the showy red arils. No tree is more associated with the history and legends of Great Britain than the Yew. Before Christianity was introduced it was a sacred tree favored by the Druids, who built their temples near these trees – a custom followed by the early Christians. The association of the tree with places of worship still prevails.

Yew or Common Yew Facts

Plant Description

Yew Or Common Yew is a long-lived, medium sized, evergreen, conifer tree that normally grows about 10–20 m (35–65 ft.) tall (exceptionally up to 28 m or 92 ft.), with a trunk up to 2 m (6 ft. 7 in) (exceptionally 4 m or 13 ft. 1 in) in diameter. The plant is found growing in hedgerows, woodland, churchyards, parks and shady field edges and can also be grown and used as hedging. The plant can grow on almost all soil types with sufficient drainage, typically on humus and base-rich soils, but also on dry rendzina and sandy soils with adequate moisture. The yew is intolerant of prolonged frost and cold although its tolerance varies by region and season. They are moderately drought tolerant and can cope with temporary flooding but are susceptible to long term poor drainage. Root systems are shallow with extensive horizontal roots. Twigs are light green in color, turning brown after several years. Buds are green with scales keeled. Bark is dark, thin, usually red-purple, and scaly coming off in small flakes aligned with the stem.

Leaves

The leaves are flat, dark green, 1–4 centimeters (1⁄2–1+1⁄2 in) long and 2–3 mm (3⁄32–1⁄8 in) broad, arranged spirally on the stem, but with the leaf bases twisted to align the leaves in two flat rows either side of the stem, except on erect leading shoots where the spiral arrangement is more obvious. Leaves are dark green and shiny above, yellow or pale green below with 8-10 stomatal rows. The leaves are poisonous. Leaves are green all through the year but turn dull in the autumn color.

Leaf arrangement	Alternate
Leaf type	Simple
Leaf margin	Entire
Leaf shape	Linear
Leaf venation	Parallel, none, or difficult to see
Leaf type and persistence	Evergreen, needled evergreen
Leaf blade length	Less than 2 inches
Leaf color	Green
Fall color	No color change
Fall characteristic	Not showy

 

Flower

Flower of yew is dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers grow on separate trees. Flowers are visible in March and April from the leaf axils of the preceding summer’s twigs.

Male Flowers

They are not true flowers but clusters of the stamen. The male flowers appear in February/March and start as Brussels sprout like growths that turn into pale yellow sacs of small spheres before opening to drop its anthers and release lots of pollen.

Female Flowers

The female flower is a single ovule covered in scale-like bracts that when pollinated will develop over the summer into a seed surrounded in bright red sometimes yellow flesh.

Flower color	Green, yellow
Flower characteristics	Not showy

Fruit

Although classified as a conifer, female yews do not produce cones, but instead produce red, ornamentally attractive, berry-like fruits, each having a single seed 4–7 mm (3⁄16–1⁄4 in) long, almost completely surrounded by a fleshy red aril. The aril is 8–15 mm (5⁄16–9⁄16 in) long and wide and opens at the end. The arils mature 6 to 9 months after pollination, and with the seed contained, are eaten by thrushes, waxwings, and other birds, which disperse the hard seeds undamaged in their droppings. Maturation of the arils is spread over 2 to 3 months, increasing the chances of successful seed dispersal. The seeds themselves are poisonous and bitter but are opened and eaten by some bird species including hawfinches, greenfinches, and great tits.[14] The aril is not poisonous, it is gelatinous and very sweet tasting. The male cones are globose, 3–6 mm (1⁄8–1⁄4 in) in diameter, and shed their pollen in early spring. All parts of this plant are poisonous if ingested. Taxine, the toxic chemical, is found in the leaves, bark, and hard part of the seed.

Fruit shape	Round
Fruit length	Less than .5 inch
Fruit covering	Fleshy
Fruit color	Red
Fruit characteristics	Attracts birds; showy; fruit/leaves not a litter problem

 

Traditional uses and benefits of Yew

• Leaf and fruit are used as an anti-spasmodic, sedative, and emmenagogue in India.
• Leaf is also used as an aphrodisiac and is used to treat epilepsy, asthma, indigestion, and bronchitis.
• It is also used as an expectorant, pectoral, sedative, stomachic, tonic; abortifacient, antifertility, contraceptive; for headache, bilious, calculus, for cancer, carminative, cyanogenetic, epilepsy, lithontriptic, medicine Tacholm; giddiness, nerves, spasm; poison, vermifuge, insecticide.
• Yew tree is a highly toxic plant that has occasionally been used medicinally, mainly in the treatment of chest complaints.
• All parts of the plant, except the fleshy fruit, are antispasmodic, cardiotonic, and diaphoretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, narcotic and purgative.
• Leaves have been used internally in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, hiccup, indigestion, rheumatism, and epilepsy.
• Externally, the leaves have been used in a steam bath as a treatment for rheumatism.
• A homeopathic remedy is made from young shoots and berries.
• It is used in the treatment of many diseases including cystitis, eruptions, headaches, heart and kidney problems, etc.
• In homeopathy, a tincture of the young shoots and also of the berries is used in a variety of diseases: cystitis, eruptions, headache and neuralgia, affections of the heart and kidneys, dimness of vision, and gout.
• The oil derived from Yew bushes is best for treating breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
• Leaves are used in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis hiccough, epilepsy, and indigestion.

Other Facts

• The plant is very tolerant of trimming; this plant makes an excellent hedge.
• Plants are often used in the topiary and even when fairly old, the trees can be cut back into old wood and will resprout.
• One report says that trees up to 1000 years old respond well to trimming.
• Decoction of the leaves is used as an insecticide.
• Wood is heavy, hard, durable, and elastic, takes a good polish but requires long seasoning.
• It is also used for bows, tool handles, etc.
• It makes good firewood.
• The wood was formerly much valued in archery for the making of longbows.
• It has been suggested that the sacred tree at the Temple at Uppsala was an ancient yew tree.
• The male plant part is allergic and the female part is Anti-allergic.
• Yew trees were often linked with immortality, as well as doom and death.
• The inner bark produces a red dye, often used in religious ceremonies by Brahmins of Nepal.
• Wood is burnt as incense in Nepal and parts of Tibet.

Precautions

• All parts of the plant, except the flesh of the fruit, are highly poisonous, having a paralyzing effect on the heart.
• Poisoning symptoms are dry mouth, vomiting, vertigo, abdominal pain, dyspnoea, arrhythmias, hypotension & unconsciousness.
• Ingestion of 50-100 g of needles can cause death.
• Ingestion of the seeds can cause trembling and difficult breathing.
• The poison is highly toxic and may even cause death after 1-3 hours of ingestion.
• The plant pollen may cause headaches, lethargy, aching joints, itching, and skin rashes.
• It can also cause asthma.
• It may cause abdominal pain, dyspepsia.
• Not recommended for Pregnant and Breastfeeding women.

 

References

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