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Taxus brevifolia
Also called Western yew, Canadian Yew
Pacific yew is a slow-growing, shade-tolerant conifer native to the Pacific Northwest, usually a small tree or multi-stemmed shrub. Its key traits are tolerance of shade and moisture, and that every part except the fleshy red aril is poisonous.
Taxus brevifolia, the Pacific yew or western yew, is a species of conifer in the yew family, Taxaceae, native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. It is a small tree, thriving in moisture and otherwise tending to take the form of a shrub.
Many parts of yews are poisonous and can be fatal if eaten, including the seed, which should not even be chewed. Ingestion of the Pacific yew can result in complex cardiac arrhythmia and hemodynamic instability.
Pacific yew is native to the Pacific Northwest. It ranges from southernmost Alaska south to Northern California, mostly in the Pacific Coast Ranges, but with isolated disjunct populations in southeast British Columbia and in Northern Idaho. It grows in varying types of environments; however, in drier environments it is mostly limited to stream-side habitats, whereas in moist environments it will grow up onto slopes and ridgetops, at least as high in altitude as 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) above sea level. Pacific yew is shade tolerant, but can also grow in sun. The tree's shade tolerance allows it to form an understory, which means that it can grow along streams providing shade to maintain water temperature.
Traditionally, the resilient and rot-resistant wood was used by Native Americans to make tools, bows (backed with sinew), arrows, and canoe paddles. Other purposes for yew included making harpoons, fishhooks, wedges, clubs, spoons, drums, snowshoes, and arrowheads. The foliage and bark were used for medicinal purposes. Members of the Pit River Tribe would sell this plant to the Ukiah. The Concow tribe calls the tree yōl'-kō (Konkow language).
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Taxus brevifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
