20 Yew- Trees of Gi^eat Britain and Ireland 



Asia, and North America {T. canadensis)} Par- 

 latore - enumerates five species, two from Japan, 

 three from North America, which Hooker regards 

 as all forms of the same species. The other three 

 are so similar in character that some botanists 

 arrange them all under one species.^ Asa Gray 

 considers the Canadian form identical with that of 

 Britain. 



Several well-marked varieties exist, e.g. the 

 'Irish yew' — Taxus baccata fastigiata — first dis- 

 covered about one hundred and twenty years ago 

 on a mountain in the parish of Kellisher, near 

 Florence Court, Co. Fermanagh, Ireland,* which, 

 though so different in character, is only a variety of 

 the common yew. Large specimens of the Florence 

 Court yew exist in the gardens of Roebuck Castle, 

 Dundrum — these are 20 feet high ; two other fine 

 ones grow at Grange- Con, Co. Wicklow, in the 

 grounds of D. Mahoney, Esq. There is also a fine 

 specimen at Ballynure, Clones, and an old place near 

 this spot, called ' Gortgranard,' is famous for this 

 form of yew. There are others of great size at Drum- 

 sillet House, Carrigallen. Mr. Veitch says,^ 'the 

 seeds always revert to the common type through 

 being fertilised by the common yew.' Until lately 

 no male plant of this variety had been met with, 



^ Traits des Arbres, 1768. - Jira.ndis, Forest Flora of India. 



" Encyclopccdia Britannica. •* Gardener'' s Chronicle, 1891. 



^ Gardener's Chronicle, 1873, and July 18, 1891. 



