228 FOREST TREES. 
eight, under a shield-like scale; fertile flowers, soli- 
tary, scaly, bracted, consisting of an erect sessile 
ovule in the cup-shaped disk, which becomes pulpy 
and berry-like in fruit, nearly enclosing the nut-like 
seed; cotyledons, two. 
Taxus baccata—English Yew. 
Leaves, two-ranked, crowded, linear, flat; recepta- 
cle of the barren flowers, globular. 
The Yew is a native of Europe and Asia. It is 
of very slow growth, and becomes in time a very large 
but not a very lofty tree. It is extremely long-lived ; 
there are trees in England which are believed to be 
more than one thousand years old. From time im- 
memorial it has been planted in church yards, proba- 
bly on account of its dark-colored foliage. The wood 
combines all the most valuable qualities, being strong, 
heavy, fine grained, very elastic, and unexcelled in 
durability. 
Although the Yew grows in Enrope as far north 
as latitude 58,° it is not suited to the climate of the 
northern part of the United States. According to 
Tfoopes, its culture near Philadelphia is unsatisfac- 
tory and its duration uncertain. If planted it should 
be in a shaded situation where it will not be exposed 
to the direct rays of the sun. 
Var. Canadensis—American Yew, Ground Hem- 
lock. 
This was formerly described as a different species 
It grows in the Northern States and in Canada, 
