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.
*** *** ***
Taxus baccata - English Yew - Fleshy aril surrounding
a mature seed
(photographed at Longwood Gardens, Kennet Square, Pennsylvania)
*** *** ***
Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata' - English Yew - Winter buds.
Photographed at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond,
VA)
*** *** ***