CHAP. CXII. TAXA^CEiE. Ta'XUS. 2069 



smooth, thin, of a brown colour, and scales off, like that of a platanus ; the 

 leaves are scattered, nearly sessile, dichotomous (that is, in two lateral rows), 

 linear, entire, very slightly revolute, and about 1 in. long ; dark green, smooth 

 and shining above ; paler, with a promineoit midrib, beneath ; terminating in a 

 small harmless point. Flowers axillary, solitary, each from a scaly imbricated 

 bud ; the male ones light brown, white with abundant pollen ; and the female 

 ones green, resembling, with their scaly bracteas, a little acorn. The stamens 

 vary from 6 to 10, and the divisions of the anthers from 4 to 8. Fruit 

 drooping, consisting of a sweet, internally glutinous, scarlet berry, open at the 

 top, enclosing a brown oval nut, unconnected with the fleshy part. Sometimes 

 this nut is longer than the fleshy cup in which it is embedded ; in which case 

 it has the appearance of a small acorn ; but, in general, the point of the nut 

 is lower than the rim of the cup. The nut contains a kernel, which is eat- 

 able, and has an agreeable flavour like those of the stone pine. The yew is 

 of slow growth ; but, in favourable situations, it will attain the height of 6 ft. 

 or 8 ft., or more, in 10 years from the seed. In 20 years, it will attain the 

 height of 15 ft., and it will continue growing for 100 years; after which it 

 becomes comparatively stationary, but will live for many centuries. When 

 drawn up by other trees, or by being planted in masses, it takes somewhat the 

 character of a fir; and may be found, thus circumstanced, 

 with a clear trunk 30 ft. or iU ft. high. It stoles when 

 cut down under 20 or 30 years of age, but rarely when 

 it is older. The largest tree which we have heard of 

 in England is in the churchyard at Harlington, near 

 Hounslow, where it is 58 ft. high, with a trunk 9 ft., and 

 a head 50 ft. in diameter ; and the oldest are at Foun- 

 tains Abbey, where they are supposed to have been 

 large trees at the time the abbey was founded, in 1132. 

 Fig, 1983. is a portrait of one of these trees, to a scale 

 of 1 in. to 50 ft. ; and a portrait of another, to a larger 

 scale, will be given in a future page. 



Geography. The yew is indigenous to most parts of Europe, from north 

 lat. 58° to the Mediterranean Sea; and also to the east and west of Asia; 

 and on the supposition that T. canadensis is onlj' a variety of T, baccata, 

 which we believe to be the case, the common yew is also a native of North 

 America, in Maryland, Canada, and other places. In a wild state, it is 

 confined to shadj^ places, such as the north side of steep hills, or 

 among tall deciduous trees; and is always found on a clayey, loamy, or 

 calcareous soil, which is naturally moist. It sometimes grows in the clefts 

 of dry rocks, but never on sandy plains ; and hence it is wanting in the 

 Russian empire, except on the mountains of the Crimea, and in C^aucasus, 

 It is found in every part of Britain, and also in Ireland: on limestone clifl^s, 

 and in mountainous woods, in the south of England; and on schistous, 

 basaltic, and other rocks, in the north of England : and, in Scotland, it is par- 

 ticularly abundant on the north side of the mountains near Loch Lomond. 

 In Ireland, it grows in the crevices of rocks, at an elevation of 1200 ft. ; but 

 at that height it assumes the appearance of a low shrub. According to Tem- 

 pleton, it is rarely, if ever, found there in a state v;hich can be considered 

 truly wild. The yew is rather a solitary than a social tree ; being generally 

 found either alone, or with trees of a diiFerent species. In England, and also, 

 as Pallas informs us, on Caucasus, it grows under the shade of the beech, 

 which few other evergreens will do. 



Hktory, Sfc. The yew, and its use for making bows, are mentioned by the 

 earliest Greek and Roman authors ; and its poisonous properties are pointed 

 out by Dioscorides, Nicander, Galen, Pliny, and others. Theophrastus says 

 (lib. iii.) that the leaves will poison horses. Caesar mentions that Cativulces, 

 king of the Eburones, poisoned himself with the juice of the yew. {De Bell. 

 Gall., lib. iv.) Suetomus asserts that the Emperor Claudius published an 

 edict, stating that the juice of this tree had a marvellous power in curing the 



6 s 4 



