494. NOTES ON THE VAEIETIES OF COMMON YEW. 



great beauty, well suited for planting in masses, and relieving the 

 monotony of large surfaces of green. The gardens at Elvaston 

 Castle derived some of their celebrity from the artistic working 

 up of quantities of this beautiful tree in contrast with the darker 

 shades of green. I have heard it said, on good authority, that 

 the Golden Yew is a male plant, but as I have seeded it, I 

 strongly suspect that there are two or more varieties of too close 

 an external resemblance to be distinguished. This supposition 

 is strengthened by the fact that the offspring from seed retain 

 the variegation of the parent, though differing slightly among 

 themselves. 



18. T.b. elegantissima is paler in colour, and of more erect 

 and uniform growth than the last-mentioned. Both these 

 varieties, if grown entirely in the shade, quickly become green, 

 but regain their golden appearance on re-exposure to the sun. 

 They form handsome formal plants when worked standard high 

 on the Irish or common yew. 



19. T.b. 'silver variegated' is a seedling from the Golden 

 Yew, but which I never thought sufficiently distinct or attractive 



20. T. b. fastigiata variegata, the variegated Irish Yew, is 

 a sport from the Irish Yew, with occasional silver leaves. The 

 plant is of slow growth, and still scarce, but it is hardly striking 

 enough to become a general favourite. 



