60 A HANDBOOK OF CONIFERS 



Prumnopitys elegans, Philippi. (Fig. 6.) 

 Plum-fruited Yew. 



An evergreen tree of yew-like habit 40-50 ft. high in S. 

 America. Barh dark brown. In cultivation it is usually a shrub, 

 often divided near the ground into several erect branches, the 

 branchlets sweeping the ground and hiding the trunk. Buds 

 small, but with valvate acute and not imbricate scales. Leaves 

 spirally arranged, but appearing more or less in a two-ranked 

 arrangement and pointing forwards, yew-like but paler in colour, 

 linear \-\ in. long, straight or sickle- shaped, narrowed abruptly 

 at the apex to a short point and at the base to a short flat stalk, 

 bright green above, paler with two broad glaucous bands of 

 stomata below, the lower surface exposed by a partial twist of 

 the leaf stalk. Male and female flowers on the same or on different 

 trees, the former in terminal and axillary clusters, cylindrical, 

 blunt. Female flowers on a scaly stalk springing from the upper 

 leaf axils. Seed with a yellowish-white fleshy outer covering, 

 resembhng a damson in size and shape, and enclosing a hard 

 shell rather like a cherry stone. 



The plum-fruited yew occurs wild in the Andes of S. Chile, 

 where it is an alpine tree with a vertical range of 4,000-0,000 ft. 

 Messrs Veitch introduced the plant in 1860 through theu^ collector 

 Robert Pearce. 



Prumnopitys elegans is a very useful evergreen for the British 

 Isles. Its foliage is less sombre than that of the yew, for which 

 it might well be employed as a substitute, especially in the S. of 

 England. Although rarely used for hedges, it is excellent for the 

 purpose. Cuttings of side shoots root readily if inserted in sandy 

 soil in a close frame during summer. 



Clinton-Baker, Illust. Conif. iii, 83 (1913). 



SAXEGOTHEA 

 Saxegothea conspicua, Lindley. 



Prestce Albert's Yew. 



An evergreen tree of yew-like habit, attaining a height of 30-40 

 ft. in S. America, but becoming shrubby at high elevations. 

 Bark greyish-brown, scaling off like that of a plane tree. Branches 

 widely spreading, drooping at the ends. Branchlets opposite or 

 in whorls of three or four. Yoking shoots slender, glabrous. 

 Buds minute, globose, with ovate greenish scales. Leaves persis- 

 tent for several years, spiraUy arranged, spreading radially on 

 leading shoots, two-ranked on lateral shoots, more or less twisted 

 or curved, linear, |-| in. long, shortly stalked, tapering to a sharp, 

 horny point ; upper surface dark green with a narrow midrib ; 

 lower surface with a narrow green midrib, on each side of which 



