N. O. CONIFERS. 
1229 
Habitat : — Temperate Himalaya, extending westwards to 
Afghanistan, and eastwards to Bhutan and Khasia Hills. 
A large, ever-green tree attaining in the Himalayas 10ft. 
and 20ft. girth of trunk. Branches spreading. Bark thin, 
purplish-grey, peeling off longitudinally. Wood hard, close and 
even-grained, smooth ; sapwood white, heartwood orange-red, 
light-red or white. Kanjilal says “ though ‘ generally middle- 
sized,’ the tree is sometimes very large, with a large spreading 
crown.” Trunk short, branches horizontal, foliage dark-green. 
Leaves flattened, coriaceous, linear, distichous, 1-lJin. long, 
1-nerved, narrowed into-a short petiole, no resin canal. Flowers 
dioecious, on short axillary branchlets, which are densely clothed 
with imbricating bracts. Male flowers pedicelled, sub-globose, 
with numerous, peltate scales, each bearing on the underside 
3-6 anther-cells, dehiscing longitudinally. Female flower 
a single, erect ovule, surrounded at the base by a disc which is 
membranous in flower, but enlarges into a red, fleshy cup, 
surrounding the seed ; testa hard ; embryo in the upper portion 
of the endo-sperm ; cotyledons 2, thick, fleshy. 
Uses : — “The leaves contain a volatile oil, tannic and gallic 
acids, and a resinous substance called toxin. Yew leaves and 
fruits have been given for their emmenagogue, sedative and 
anti-spasmodic effects. Pereira says that therapeutically the 
yew appeal’s to hold an intermediate position between Savin 
and Digitalis, being allied to the former by its acrid, diuretic 
and emmenagogue properties, and to the latter by the giddiness, 
irregular and depressed action of the heart, convulsions and 
insensibility, which it produces. Yew is, however, reported to 
have one decided advantage over Digitalis by its effects not 
accumulating in the system, so that it is a much more manage- 
able remedy than Digitalis. Besides its use as an emmena- 
gogue and sedative in the same cases as Savin and Digitalis are 
administered, it has also been employed as a lithic in calculus 
complaints ; and as an anti-spasmodic in epilepsy and con- 
vulsions. According to Dr. Taylor the yew tree is sometimes 
used by ignorant persons to cause abortion. At the present 
time, yew is never used in regular medical practice in Europe, 
