TAXUS 



Taxus, Linnaeus, Gen. /Y. 312 (1737); Bentham et Hooker, Gen. PL iii. 431 (1880); Masters, 

 Jour. Linn. Soc. (Boi.) xxx. 7 (1893); Pilger, in Engler, Pflanzenreich, iv. 5, Taxacece, no 

 (1903)- 



Evergreen trees or shrubs belonging to the division Taxaceae of the order 

 Coniferae. Bark reddish or reddish brown, thin and scaly. Branches spreading, 

 giving off branchlets, of one kind only, irregularly alternate, surrounded at their bases 

 by brownish scales. Buds globular or ovoid, of imbricated scales. Leaves inserted 

 on the branchlets in a spiral order, on upright shoots spreading radially, on 

 horizontal shoots disposed by twisting on their petioles in one plane in a pectinate 

 arrangement, the upper and lower leaves being of the same length, with their dorsal 

 surfaces turned upwards and their ventral surfaces downwards. In fastigiate varieties 

 all, or most, of the branchlets assume an erect position, and the leaves in consequence 

 are arranged radially. The leaves are linear, flat, with recurved margins, dark green 

 above, paler green below ; the lower surface only bearing stomata, which never form 

 conspicuous white bands ; narrowed at the base into a short petiole, arising from a 

 linear cushion on the twig ; mucronate or acute at the apex and without a resin- 

 canal. 



Flowers dioecious, or in rare individuals monoecious, on the under surface of the 

 branchlets of the preceding year, in the axils of the leaves, the female flowers being 

 less numerous than the male flowers. Male flowers composed of a stalk, girt at its 

 base by imbricated scales, and bearing above a globose head of 6-14 stamens with 

 short filaments. The stamen is expanded above into a peltate connective, which 

 bears on its lower surface 5 to 9 pollen sacs, united with each other and with the 

 filament. The female flowering shoot, arising out of the axil of the leaf, is composed 

 of a number of imbricated scales, in the axil of the uppermost one of which is borne 

 an ovule, placed so close to the apex of the shoot as to appear terminal ; in the scale 

 next below a bud occurs, which occasionally develops into a second ovule. The 

 ovule, which has a small membranous disc at its base, projects out of the scales by 

 its micropyle. Seed sessile in a fleshy, juicy cup, forming an aril (the enlarged 

 disc), open at the top and free from the seed in its upper part. The seed variable 

 in form, 2, 3, or 4-angled, is generally ellipsoid and has a ligneous testa, containing 

 oily white albumen, in the upper part of which is an axile straight cylindrical minute 

 embryo with two cotyledons. 



Yews differ from all other Coniferae in the character of the fruit. They 



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