YEN-JU— YEW 301 



Yen-ju {Sophora japonica L. : Ovder'y^eguminoscB). China and 

 Japan. Height 40 ft. or more ; diam. 2 — 4 ft. Hard, fine-grained, 

 ornamental. Used for turnery, furniture, and interior finish ; but 

 valued as a shade tree and for its buds, the Chinese '' Wai-hwa," 

 which are used as a yellow or green dye. 



Yew [Tdxus haccdta L. : Order Taxinece). Europe, up to altitudes 

 of 6,000 ft. in Southern Spain ; Northern and Western Asia, up to 

 11,000 ft. in the Himalayas ; and Northern Africa. French '' If." 

 Germ. '' Eibe," '' Eibenbaum." Welsh ''Yw." Ancient Greek 

 '' Taxos, Melos." Modern Greek " Maurelatos." Latin " Taxus." 

 ItaL "Tasso." Span. "Texo, Tejo." Height 15 — 20 or even 

 50 ft., and in the Himalayas 100 ft. ; diam. 1 — 5 ft. or more, up to 

 19 ft, W 40 — 57. Eeddish-brown, resembling Mahogany, irregular 

 in its growth, heavy, very hard, close-grained, tough, very elastic 

 and flexible, susceptible of a high poHsh, insect-proof, and more 

 durable than any other European wood, especially in contact with 

 soil, it being an old saying that " a post of yew will outlast a post 

 of iron." On old trees burrs occur, figured and mottled like Am- 

 bojma-wood. Sapwood very narrow, yellowish- white ; annual 

 rings very narrow, wavy, well-marked by the broad dark zone of 

 autumn- wood ; pith-rays indistinguishable and without tracheids ; 

 wood without resin-ducts, entirely composed of spirally thickened 

 tracheids. " The eugh obedient to the bender's will," as Spenser 

 calls it, seems to have been used, owmg to its combined toughness 

 and elasticity, for bows from very early times. In England, though 

 home-grown wood was used, that imported by Venetian traders from 

 Italy, Turkey, and Spain, was of better quality. At the close of the 

 sixteenth century the practice of " backing " bows with some 

 other kind of wood was introduced, and at the present day they are 

 largely made of Lancewood and Hickory. At the present day Yew 

 is employed to some extent at High Wycombe and Worksop in 

 chair-making, and on the Continent in turnery. When stained black 

 it is one of the woods known as German Ebony. Small branches 

 are valued for walking-sticks and whip-handles. In the latter 

 part of the eighteenth century veneers of Yew burrs were largely 

 used for tea-caddies and other small articles. There is in the library 

 of the India Office a Persian illuminated manuscript on thin sheets 

 of Yew. 



Yew, Calif ornian, Pacific, or Western {Tdxus hrevifoUa Nutt.). 

 Pacific slope from British Columbia to South California, up to 

 altitudes of 8,000 ft. Height 40—50 or 80 ft. ; diam. 1—2 ft. 

 W 40. Sapwood pale yellow ; heart orange-red, heavy, hard, fine- 

 grained, extremely stiff and strong, seasoning well, and durable. 



Yew, Japanese {Tdxus cuspiddta S. & Z.). ^Yesso, and^long 

 cultivated throughout Japan. Japan. " Ichii, Momi-noki, Araragi." 



