TAXACEAE

YEW FAMILY

James R. Griffin

Tree or shrub, dioecious, evergreen
Leaves simple, alternate, not in bundles, generally appearing 2-ranked, < 5 cm, linear, decurrent; tip acute
Pollen cone with < 32 stamen-like structures
Seed solitary at tip of short twig, partly or completely enclosed by subtending aril; coat woody; cotyledons 2
Genera in family: 5 genera, 16 species: n hemisphere; some Taxus species widely used in landscaping
Reference: [Florin 1948 Bot Gaz 110:31–39]

TAXUS

YEW

Stem: trunk often of irregular width; branches somewhat drooping; wood not aromatic
Leaves yellowish green, paler below, not aromatic; tip not sharply spiny
Pollen cone with a stalked cluster of 4–8 stamen-like structures
Seed maturing in 2 seasons; aril reddish, open at top
Species in genus: ± 7 species: n hemisphere
Etymology: (Latin, probably from Greek: bow, for which wood used)

Native

T. brevifolia Nutt.

PACIFIC YEW

Stem: trunk < 18 m, < 1.4 m wide; bark shredding, red-brown
Leaf 10–25 mm, ± flexible; spine or bristle tip < 0.5 mm or 0
Seed < 10 mm, ovoid; coat smooth
Ecology: UNCOMMON. Generally dense, mixed-evergreen forest, lower slopes or canyon bottoms
Elevation: 10–1500 m.
Bioregional distribution: Northwestern California, Cascade Range, n&c Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Bay Area
Distribution outside California: to Alaska, w Montana
Horticultural information: IRR, DRN, SHD: 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24; SUN : 4, 5, 6.