Conifer cz Taxus. 453 



TRIBE lll. 

 Fertile flower solitary, ripening into a fleshy fruit. 



21. TAXUS. 



Evergreen usually dioecious shrubs or trees with scattered or 

 distichous linear decurrent leaves. Male flowers in small glo- 

 bular catkins. Female flowers solitary, bracteate at the base, 

 with one erect seed seated on a disk which enlarges into a 

 coloured fleshy cup around the lower part of the seed. The forms 

 of Yew are numerous, and the extreme ones very distinct ; but 

 there are probably not more than three or four species and 

 perhaps only one. They are found in temperate regions through- 

 out Europe, Asia and North America. Taxus is the classical 

 name of the Common Yew, but its derivation is disputed and 

 variously explained. The most probable is from rofov, a bow, 

 in allusion to the use made of the wood. 



1. T. baccata. Common Yew. This tree is remarkable for its 

 slow growth and sombre foliage, enlivened in Autumn by the 

 small scarlet fruits. It is indigenous in Britain, and many 

 fine old trees exist, especially in burial grounds. Besides the 

 ordinary form, which it is unnecessary to describe, there are 

 many others of garden or wild origin, some of them very 

 striking. The most familiar is the variety fastigiata or Irish 

 Yew, easily recognised by its close erect habit and very dark 

 green foliage. T. baccata Dovastdni> Weeping Yew, is re- 

 markable for its drooping habit. The American form, Cana- 

 densis, is a dwarf straggling shrub with rather shorter leaves 

 than the English Yew. In America it bears the name of 

 Ground Hemlock. Hibernica has spreading branches ; eri- 

 coldcs unusually small foliage ; erecta, syn. stricta and pyra- 

 midalis, is very distinct, branching from the base, forming many 

 slender nearly erect stems ; Cheshuntiensis is a fast-growing 

 variety, intermediate' in habit between the common and Irish 

 Yews, with bright glossy foliage. Jadcsdnii, grdcilis, nana, 

 Mitchelli or sparsifdlia, horizontdlis, etc., are slight varieties 

 scarcely worthy of discrimination. The variety glauca is de- 

 scribed as desirable and rapid growing, having the foliage 

 silvery on the lower surface. Some of the variegated varieties 

 are very handsome when planted in cool shady places. The 

 gold and silver striped aiirea variegata and argentea variegata, 



