THE EUROPEAN YEW 



MR. ALFRED REHDER has stated that the six species of Yew commonly recog- 

 nized as growing in the northern hemisphere "are all very closely allied and 

 could be considered geographical varieties of a single species." Of these the 

 most notable is the European Yew, famous in English literature for many centuries and 

 commonly grown in America as an ornamental tree. Like so many species that have been 

 long in cultivation, many horticultural varieties have been developed. These variations 

 have to do in some cases with the habit of growth, some being dwarf and shrublike, 

 others tall and columnar; in other cases with the color of the foliage, some being yellow 

 or golden, others whitish. One form has pendulous twigs. 



In its normal condition the English Yew is a short-trunked tree with a top that 

 sometimes reaches a height of sixty feet. It grows very slowly and many of the famous 

 trees are of immemorial age. This slowness of growth doubtless is the cause of the extra- 

 ordinary quality of the w T ood that formerly rendered it so valuable for making bows as 

 well as in these later days for cabinet-making purposes. Many a hard-fought battle in 

 the annals of old England has been decided through the use of 



"The bows of double fatal yew." 



The only species of Yew native to eastern North America is the American Yew 

 (Taxus Canadensis) which is more commonly called the Ground Hemlock. This is a low 

 shrub that never takes on the tree form, which is widely distributed throughout Canada 

 and the Northern States, extending as far south as Virginia and Iowa. Its wood is of a 

 yellowish brown color, very heavy, tough and elastic. The general appearance of the leafy 

 branches is suggestive of those of the Hemlock, due to the flattened arrangement of the 

 leaves which, however, are longer and more robust than those of the Hemlock. Each leaf 

 is narrowed at the base into a short petiole and has a sharply-pointed tip. The midrib 

 projects on both surfaces of the leaves, which are shining yellow green above and lighter 

 below. The fruit is a curious red, berry-like object, formed by the disk becoming pulpy 

 and cup-shaped so as almost to cover the hard seed. Small masses of the cut twigs have a 

 curious musky odor, very different from that of any other of our evergreens. It is some- 

 times utilized in planting underwoods in large estates. 



In a limited district in Northern Florida is a more or less tree-like Yew called the 

 Florida Yew (Taxus Floridana) which is commonly ranked as a distinct species. On the 

 Pacific coast is a more important form, often called the Oregon Yew (Taxus brevifolia), 

 which extends from the Far North, south through California. The Indians utilize its wood 

 for spears and bows while the bright berries serve probably as food for many birds. 



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