return to: Conifer Diversity, Key to Conifers

Taxus - Yew

Shrubs or small trees; needle leaves flat and linear, about 2-3 mm wide and 1-3 cm long, ending in a sharp point; cones absent; ovules/seeds solitary; mature seeds partially enclosed in a bright red aril, about the size of a blueberry.

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Taxus baccata - English Yew - Fleshy aril surrounding a mature seed

(photographed at Longwood Gardens, Kennet Square, Pennsylvania)

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Taxus baccata
'Fastigiata' - English Yew - Winter buds.

Photographed at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, VA)

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