172 CONIFEROUS TREES 



the foliage less abundant, and of a fresher green. 

 The tree, too, is of much smaller growth, far more 

 uniform in its branch arrangement, and with a 

 very narrow spread in proportion to the height, 

 this latter being a distinguishing characteristic. It 

 is when the two species are growing side by side 

 that the differences can best be detected, and this 

 is markedly the case both at Penrhyn Castle, 

 North Wales, and Holwood Park, in Kent. 



TAXUS, LinncBus 



THE YEWS 



Flowers usually dioecious ; stamens in shortly stalked 

 heads ; anther scales peltate. 



Fruit soHtary, one-seeded. 



Seed erect, and borne in a fleshy open cup. 



Leaves two-ranked, linear, and decurrent. 



Cotyledons two, flat and leafy. 



Evergreen trees or shrubs, with two-ranked leaves, and 

 the seed borne in a pulpy cup or aril. 



Taxus b ago ATA, LiuncBus. The Yew. Europe 

 and Northern Asia, Britain. — This is a native tree, 

 of about 40 feet in height, with a short, thick, and 

 deeply fluted stem, and a spread of branches often 

 exceeding the height. It is a very accommodating 

 tree, unusually large specimens being found grow- 

 ing where hardly a couple of inches of loam overlies 

 the chalk formation, on rocky soils, shingly gravel, 

 but best of all on good, sound, dampish loam, and 

 on which latter it attains to largest dimensions. 

 In the formation of evergreen hedges or for plant- 

 ing beneath the shade and drip of larger growing 

 trees, the Common Yew is of particular value, and 



