Overview
This is a low, spreading form to 4' tall and 6' wide that bears glossy green leaves that tolerate winter well.
Interesting Facts
Description
Family Taxaceae
Trees
or shrubs
evergreen
, dioecious or rarely monoecious. Leaves spirally arranged
or decussate, linear
or lanceolate, abaxial
surface with 1 stomatal
band
on each side of prominent
or inconspicuous midvein
, resin canal present or absent. Pollen cones solitary in leaf or bract axils, or aggregated into spikelike complexes apically on branches; microsporophylls
numerous
; pollen sacs
3-9, radially arranged or on outer side of microsporophyll and then with distinct
adaxial
and abaxial surfaces; pollen nonsaccate. Seed-bearing structures solitary or paired
in axils of leaves or bracts, pedunculate
or sessile, with several overlapping or decussate bracts at base
; ovule solitary, borne at apex of floral
axis, erect
. Seed sessile or pedunculate, drupelike or nutlike, partially enclosed in a succulent, saccate
or cupular aril, or completely enclosed within aril; female gametophyte
tissue
abundant. Cotyledons 2. Germination epigeal, hypogeal in Torreya.
Five genera and 21 species; mainly N hemisphere (except Austrotaxus R. H. Compton: New Caledonia) ; four genera (one endemic) and 11 species (five endemic, one introduced
) in China.[1]
Physical Description
ID Features: Two-ranked needles. Red aril covering seed. Scaly bark. Usually massively pruned. Blunt bud scales. Pointed leaf apex.
Habit: Low, spreading evergreen .
Flowers: Dioecious. Form on previous years wood . Blooms in March and April. Ornamentally unimportant.
Seeds: Fruit: Slightly compressed , olive-brown seed. Seed is covered by a red aril. Mildly attractive.
Foliage: Summer foliage: Needle like leaves. Two-ranked . Blunt bud scales. Glossy green color on upperside. Light to medium green on underside. Needles can be straight or curved . Leave apex is pointed . • Fall foliage: None, evergreen . Some winter discoloration occurs.
Size/Age/Growth
Size: to 4' tall and 6' wide.
Landscaping
Landscape Uses: Foundation plantings . Mass or groupings. Hedge . Screen . • Liabilities: Over used. Keep out of windswept sites, discoloration can occur. Needle or twig blight . Scale. Nematodes .
Biology
Growth
Culture: Easily transplanted from B&B or container . Prefers moist, sandy, slightly acidic soil. Prefers well-drained soil. Sun or shade.
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Spermatopsida
()
- Burnett
- Order:
Cupressales
()
- Knoblauch, in Warming, 1890
- Order:
Cupressales
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Similar Species
Members of the genus Taxus
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 51 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
T. baccata (Common Yew) · T. baccata brevifolia (Pacific Yew) · T. baccata cuspidata (Japanese Yew) · T. baccata 'Amersfoort' (Amersfoort English Yew) · T. baccata 'Fastigiata' (English Yew) · T. baccata 'Jacksonii' (English Yew) · T. baccata 'Lutea' (English Yew) · T. baccata 'Repandens' (Repandens Spreading English Yew) · T. baccata 'Repandens Aurea' (Spreading English Yew) · T. baccata 'Standishii' (Standishii English Yew) · T. baccata 'Stricta' (Irish Yew) · T. baccata 'Watnong Gold' (English Yew) · T. brevifolia (Canadian Yew) · T. canadensis (Canada Yew) · T. cuspidata (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata Siebold & Zucc. forma latifolia (Pilg.) Fitsch. (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidatavar. densa (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata 'Aurea' (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata Siebold & Zucc. 'Densiformis' (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata Siebold & Zucc. 'Expansa' (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata Siebold & Zucc. 'Hunewellii' (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata Siebold & Zucc. 'Intermedia' (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata Siebold & Zucc. 'Nana Aurea' (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata Siebold & Zucc. 'Prostrata' (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata Siebold & Zucc. 'Sieboldii' (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata Siebold & Zucc. 'Stricta' (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata 'Aurescens' (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata 'Capitata' (Capitata Yew) · T. cuspidata 'Dwarf Bright Gold' (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata 'Monloo' (Emerald Spreader Yew) · T. cuspidata 'Silver Queen' (Japanese Yew) · T. cuspidata 'Winter Jewel' (Cone Winter Jewel Japanese Yew) · T. floridana (Florida Yew) · T. jacksonii (English Yew) · T. nucifera (Japanese-Nutmeg) · T. wallichiana (Himalayan Yew) · T. x media'Flushing' (Anglo-Japanese Yew) · T. x media 'Beanpole' (Beanpole Hybrid Yew) · T. x media 'Bean Pole' (Anglojap Yew) · T. x media 'Brownii' (Anglojap Yew) · T. x media'Citation' (Citation Upright Yew) · T. x media 'Densiflora' (Anglojap Yew) · T. x media 'Densiformis' (Dense Spreading Yew) · T. x media 'Densiformis Select' (Select Dense Spreading Yew) · T. x media 'Green Mountain' (Green Mountain Yew) · T. x media 'Hicksii' (Hicks Yew) · T. x media 'Kelseyi' (Anglojap Yew) · T. x media 'Lc Bobbink' (Anglojap Yew) · T. x media 'Maureen' (Anglojap Yew) · T. x media 'Tauntonii' (Taunton`s Yew) · T. x media 'Viridis' (Columnar Yew)
More Info
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- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Cheng Wan-chün, Fu Li-kuo & Chu Cheng-de. 1978. Taxaceae. In: Cheng Wan-chün & Fu Li-kuo, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 7: 437-467.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed March 27, 2012.
Identifiers
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 712910
Footnotes
- Liguo Fu, Nan Li & Robert R. Mill "Taxaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 89. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
