IPostelsia 149 



and purple in color and falls away in scales, so 

 that in old trees it is marked with broad, shallow 

 depressions. It, however, always maintains a 

 very smooth surface. Despite this fact, in the 

 damp Vancouver forests the trunk and branches 

 of the yew are nearly always covered with a 

 very heavy growth of mosses and lichens, often 

 to a much greater extent than those of other trees 

 with rougher bark. 



Fruiting specimens of this tree may be read- 

 ily identified by the peculiar fruits looking, when 

 half-grown, like minute green acorns, and when 

 ripe, conspicuous on account of the thick, fleshy, 

 bright red aril which almost covers the seed. 

 On account of the twisting of the petioles, the 

 leaves of this tree appear two-ranked, although 

 they are inserted spirally. The same character 

 occurs to a greater or less extent in several other 

 conifers of the region, but in none of them is it 

 as perfectly developed as in the yew. In this 

 respect it is most closely approached by the 

 western hemlock, from which it may be readily 

 distinguished by its sharp-pointed leaves, those 

 of the hemlock being rounded or blunt. More- 



