i 



XVII 



THE YEW 



various species of trees and shrubs 

 which compose the genus Taxus are 

 popularly known as Yews, and are 

 included in the tribe Taxineae of the 

 large family Coniferae. The hardy species are 

 few in number, three only being of any import- 

 ance for British gardens, whilst a fourth might 

 be of value for the warmer parts of the British 

 Isles, if it could be obtained in quantity. 



The three commoner species are : 



T. baccata, Linnceus; "The Common Yew/' 

 T. canadensis, Willdenow ; "The Canadian 



Yew." 

 T. cuspidata, Siebold and Zuccarini ; "The 



Japanese Yew." 



The more tender species is : 



T. brevifolia, Nuttall; "The Californian 

 Yew/' 



Between these species the distinguishing marks 

 are not great, and some botanists consider that 



