loo The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



TAXUS BACCATA, Yew 



Taxus beucata, Linnaeus, Sp. PI. 1040 (1753); Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. iv. 2066 (1838); 

 Lowe, Yew Trees of Great Britain and Ireland (\Z^i) ; Kent, in Veitch's Man. Cotiifera, 126 

 (1900); Kirchner, Loew, and Schroter, Lebengesch. Blutenpfl. Mitteleuropas, i. 61 (1904). 



The chief characters of the species have been given in the generic description. 

 The different geographical forms are distinguished as follows : 



1. Var. typica. Common Yew. A tree or shrub. Leaves falcate, acute, or 

 acuminate, the apex diminishing gradually into a cartilaginous mucro ; median 

 nerve only slightly prominent above. Buds ovoid or globose, of closely imbricated 

 brownish, rounded scales, usually not keeled on the back. 



In certain Himalayan specimens the leaves are long and narrow, with a 

 long acuminate apex, and the buds have keeled scales. Intermediate forms occur ; 

 and all Indian botanists and foresters seem to be agreed that the Himalayan yew 

 cannot be separated from the European form even as a variety.* 



2. Var. cuspidata {Taxus cuspidata, S. et Z.^), Japanese Yew. A tree or 

 shrub. Leaves straight, scarcely falcate, median nerve prominent above, apex 

 giving off abruptly a short mucro. Buds oblong, composed of somewhat loosely 

 imbricated scales, which are ovate, very acute and keeled. In cultivated specimens 

 the under surface of the leaves is yellow in colour, the buds being bright chestnut 

 brown. 



3. Var. sinensis,^ Chinese Yew. A tree. Leaves short, rigid, median nerve 

 not prominent above, apex rounded and giving off abruptly a short mucro. Buds 

 ovoid, brownish, composed of densely imbricated scales, which are ovate, obtuse, 

 and not keeled. 



4. Var. brevifolia {Taxus brevifolia, Nutt.^),. Pacific Coast Yew. A tree. 

 Leaves falcate, short, median nerve slightly prominent above, apex abruptly 

 mucronate. Buds large, with loosely imbricated yellowish green scales, which are 

 lanceolate, mucronate, and keeled. 



5. Var. canadensis {Taxus canadensis, Marshall^), Canadian Yew. A low, 

 prostrate shrub. Leaves narrow, falcate ; median nerve slightly prominent above, 

 apex abruptly mucronate. Buds globose, small, with somewhat loosely imbricated, 

 greenish, ovate, obtuse, keeled scales. 



6. Var. Floridana { Taxus fioridana, Chapman *), Florida Yew. A shrub or 



' It has been described as a distinct species, Taxus Wallichiana, Zuccarini, in Abhand. K. Bayr. Akad. Wissensch. iii. 

 803, t. S (1843). Pilger, who ranks the different geographical forms as sub-species, keeps it separate from the European yew 

 as sub-species Watlichiana. 



'' Flora Jap. Fam. Nat. ii. 108 (1846) ; Shirasawa, /con. Ess. Forest. Japan, i. 33, t. 15 (1899). 



' Taxus baccala, L., Masters, Index Flora Sinensis, ii. 546 (1902). 



Nuttall, Sylv. iii. 86, t. 108 (1849); Sargent, Silva N. America, x. 65, t. 514 (1896). 



' Marshall, Arh. Amer. 151 (1785); Sargent, Silva N. America, x. 63 (1896). The plant cultivated at Kew as Taxus 

 canadensis, var. aurea, a strong-growing, erect shrub, is apparently a variety of the common yew. 



" Chapman, Flora South United States, 436 (i860) ; Sargent, Silva N. America, x. 67, t. 515 (1896). 



