SPRING-FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS 



79 



weather-beaten appearance, due to the fact that the lower branches 

 die as the height increases, and are then more easily detached in 

 stormy weather. 



The Yew is a native of mountainous woods, but has been planted 

 largely in other situations. It is an evergreen tree, with a dark 

 brown, fibrous bark ; and although it never grows to any great 



THE Yew in Fruit. 



height — seldom exceeding fifty feet, it often has a girth of from 

 twenty to thirty feet, and reaches an age of fifteen hundred or 

 two thousand years. The leaves are very crowded, about one inch 

 in length, and arranged in two rows along the stem. They are Unear, 

 pointed, of a dark glossy green above, and lighter below. The flowers 

 are small, sessile, situated in the axils of the leaves, and appear in 

 March or April. The male flower consists of from five to eight 

 anthers, below which is a whorl of overlapping scales. The female 

 is much smaller, and is composed of a fleshy disc with a small ovule 

 at the top and scales below. After fertilisation the ovule enlarges 



