Western Yew 



123 



cated scaly involucre ; they have from 4 to 8 yellow stamens, their filaments short 

 and stout; pollen-sacs 4 to 6, depressed and angular, opening underneath. The 

 pistillate iiowers are sessile, consisting of a solitary ovule partly surrounded by 

 a low disk, and subtended by several imbricated scales; the disk enlarges greatly 

 and becomes a persistent fleshy scarlet cup in fruit. The fruit ripens and falls 

 off in the autumn; the seed, which is nut-like, is immersed in but free from the 

 thick red gelatine-like cup-shaped disk; it is ovoid-oblong, sometimes slightly 

 3-ridged, narrowed and sharp-pointed at the apex, its base marked by an oval or 

 triangular depression; the endosperm is abundant and fleshy, not channeled; 

 cotyledons 2. 



The narne is the Greek for Yew, probably in allusion to its use for making 

 bows. Taxus haccata Linnaeus, of Europe, is the type of the genus. 



The genus is represented in America by 4 Hving species, a low shrub of the 

 northeastern States, Taxus canadensis Marshall, called the American yew or 

 Ground hemlock; T. globosa Schlechtendal in Mexico; and the two following: 



Western tree; leaves 12 to 15 mm. long, yellow-green. 

 Florida tree; leaves 20 to 25 mm. long, dark green. 



1. T. brevi folia. 



2. T. floridana. 



I. WESTERN YEW Taxus brevifolia Nuttall 



This beautiful evergreen tree or shrub occurs along streams and on slopes 

 usually singly or few together, in the 

 shade of the tall coniferous trees of the 

 region, from British Columbia south to 

 central California, and extends east- 

 ward to the Rocky Mountains, in Mon- 

 tana and Idaho, reaching altitudes of 

 2400 meters. Its maximum height of 

 24 meters and trunk diameter of 1.2 

 meters is attained in Oregon. It is 

 also known as Pacific yew. Mountain 

 mahogany, and Yew. 



The trunk is tall and straight but 

 often very irregular and ridged. The 

 branches are horizontal or somewhat 

 drooping, long and slender, forming a 

 broad, conic tree. The bark is about 

 6 mm. thick, flaky, dark reddish pur- 

 ple, the inner layers being much brighter ^ig. 95 . - Western Yew. 

 in color. The twigs are slender, green 



at first, becoming bright brownish red with age. The buds are 1.5 to 3 mm. 

 long, their scales imbricated, yellowish. The leaves persist for four or five years, 

 are linear, flat, straight or sHghtly curved, 12 to 15 mm. long, sharp-pointed. 



