About

Taxus baccata is a species of coniferous tree in the family Taxaceae. It is the tree originally known as yew, though to distinguish it from related species it is sometimes called common yew, European yew, or, in North America, English yew. It is a woodland tree in its native range, which spans much of Europe and parts of West Asia, the Caucasus and Northwest Africa. All parts of the plant except the fleshy aril are poisonous, with toxins that can be absorbed through inhalation, ingestion, and transpiration through the skin.

The wood has been prized for making longbows and for musical instruments such as lutes. Yews are often grown as ornamental trees, hedges or topiaries, including in churchyards, where they sometimes reach great age; many explanations have been given for this planting, especially that the yew is associated with death, immortality, and rebirth.

Where it grows

The yew is native to all countries of Europe (except Iceland), the Caucasus, and beyond from Turkey eastwards to northern Iran. Its range extends south to Morocco and Algeria in North Africa, and parts of Southwest and South Asia. A few populations are present in the archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira. The limit of its northern Scandinavian distribution is its sensitivity to frost, with global warming predicted to allow its spread inland. It has been introduced elsewhere, including the United States.

Uses

Yew wood was historically important, finding use in the Middle Ages in items such as musical instruments, furniture, and longbows. The species was felled nearly to extinction in much of Europe. In the modern day, it is not considered a commercial crop due to its very slow growth, but it is valued for hedging and topiary. Certain compounds in yew clippings are precursors of the chemotherapy drug taxol.

Other Taxus plants

Pacific Yew · Japanese Yew · Himalayan Yew · Yew