Yew
Yew navigation
One of the oldest living trees in northern Europe, the yew (botanical name - Taxus baccata) is one of three conifers native to Britain (the others are Scots pine and juniper).
They bear succulent red fruits instead of cones.
Ancient yew trees are common in churchyards, with some thought to be thousands of years old.
Facts and statistics
Here are some interesting facts about yew.
5,000 years.
Usually a round, densely-branched tree from 15 to 29 metres tall.
Male and female flowers are borne on separate trees.
Every part of the tree, except the fleshy seed cap, is poisonous to humans and cattle but not to deer or rabbits.
When a bird eats one of the fruits, it digests the fleshy jacket, or aril, and passes the poisonous seed intact.
The light brown bark is thin and scaly, becoming furrowed and breaks away in long flakes.
Europe, Atlas Mountains and Anatolia.
Although it is a ‘softwood’ it grows slowly, giving the wood great strength. Its thin, springy branches were once used for making longbows.
Nowadays, the wood is made into veneers and is used for furniture making. Yew is popular in gardens as it can withstand unlimited clipping and shaping.