Taxus cuspidata seed
LATIN NAME: TAXUS CUSPIDATA
COMMON NAME: Japanese Yew
In the shaded hills of Japan and the northeast, the Japanese yew grows as a dense, dark, evergreen tree with the flat, linear, dark-green leaves set in two rows along the spreading branches and the small, greenish flowers, the single seeds each wrapped in a bright-red, fleshy cup that ripens in the autumn. The herb slowly grows into a rounded crown, with a mature height of 5-10 metres. Partial or full shade suits it best, with deep, fertile ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Japanese yew occupies a steady place in the studies of the slow-growing conifers of the east, its red fleshy cups and its dense dark foliage keeping it in view in the work on the taxane compounds and the long-lived trees of the shaded forests. The research follows the way the flat leaves hold the deep shade, the scarlet cups ripen around the hard seeds, and the seed biology of the slow, dormant seeds. The seeds and the foliage carry a toxic compound and are best kept for the eyes only.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the shaded garden, the Japanese yew carries the dense, dark green that gives the year-round structure and the hedge that stands the close clipping. The scarlet cups light the autumn shade and feed the thrushes, and the tree makes the fine specimen, the hedging conifer and the long-lived tree of the sheltered garden. It is a tree for the cool, shaded, deep and well-drained place.
To grow the Japanese Yew from seed, clean the seeds from the red flesh and give them a long, cool, moist spell.
Clean the seeds from the red flesh and give them a long, cool, moist spell, and keep the young yews in the shaded, sheltered spot. The scarlet cups ripen with the autumn.
LATIN NAME: Taxus cuspidata
COMMON NAME: Japanese Yew
The Japanese yew is a handsome, upright, broad, evergreen conifer of the cool forests, and its fine, flattened, dark-green needles and its small, fleshy, red, cup-like fruits of the hard seeds have made it a treasured and long-known tree of the region. Growth leads to a rosette of leaves, to fifty centimetres. It is a species of the coniferous tree in the yew family, and it is native to the cool forests of the eastern Asia, while it is prized for its fine, durable wood and its stately form, and it is known as the Japanese yew.
The Japanese yew belongs to the yew family, Taxaceae, and it is a species of the upright, broad, evergreen conifer, native to the cool forests of the eastern Asia, while it is prized for its fine, durable wood and its stately form, and it is known as the Japanese yew. It is prized for its fine, flattened, dark-green needles and its small, fleshy, red, cup-like fruits.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Japanese yew has a real and distinguished place in the research. It has been studied in the chemistry of the natural products and the pharmaceutical science, since the parts of the Japanese yew contain the fine taxane compounds that have been among the most studied of the plant world, and researchers have examined the tree and its constituents, while the study of the taxanes has drawn attention in the international pharmaceutical press as one of the most important of the plant world. The plant has also been studied in the toxicology, since the needles and the seeds of the Japanese yew are highly potent, and researchers have examined the plant with the greatest care, while the study of the potent compounds has been of continuing interest, and the tree is best appreciated as a subject of study and is never to be eaten or handled casually. The species has also been studied in the botany and the conservation, since it is a native of the cool forests of the eastern Asia, and its relationships, its distribution and its role in the forest have been examined, while the conservation of the yew forests has been of continuing interest, and its fine, flattened, dark-green needles have been of interest to the botanists. For a tree of such great importance, the Japanese yew has a rich and continuing record of study.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the Japanese yew is a generous tree of the garden. Its small, fleshy, red, cup-like fruits are a fine food of the birds, and its fine, dense, dark-green foliage gives a fine cover and a shelter to the birds through the year.
Its economic value is real. The Japanese yew is prized for its fine taxane compounds and its fine, durable wood, and its value has drawn attention in the international pharmaceutical press as one of the most important of the plant world, while its fine, durable timber has been valued in the fine woodwork of the region. The needles and the seeds are highly potent and are never to be eaten or made into any home remedy. For a grower, the Japanese yew is a rewarding and stately tree, and for a gardener it brings a dark-green, red-fruited, stately tree to the cool garden. The seeds are easy to start — give them a period of cold, damp storage in the fridge, then sow them just below the surface of a pot of moist, free-draining soil, keep them gently watered, and theyll be sprouting steadily, growing on into a dark-green, red-fruited, stately tree.
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia.It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may now be known as English yew.
Sowing Instructions:
Japanese yew contains toxins called taxine A and B, which can be fatal if ingested by dogs, cats, horses or people.
Combine equal parts compost and coarse sand to create a good rooting mix for the yew seeds. Fill several 25 cm (10 inch) plastic pots with the compost and sand mixture. Make one pot for each yew seed. Water each pot to a depth of 12.5 cm (5 inches) using a garden hose. Allow the compost and sand mixture to drain for a few minutes before planting the yew seeds. Press the yew seeds into the surface of the soil until most of the seed is buried but the top is visible. Sprinkle a light layer of sand across the top of the seed to insulate it while still allowing sunlight to reach it. Replace the sand covering as needed, if it becomes dislodged during watering. Place the potted yew seeds into a cold frame or along an east-facing wall where they will receive some protection from the elements. Mist the seeds to a depth of 2.5 cm (1 inch) using a garden hose with an adjustable nozzle whenever the soil feels dry just below the surface. Do not allow the seeds to dry out or sit in soggy soil. Open the cold frame slightly during the winter to allow for evaporation, good air circulation and exposure to chilly temperatures, which are required for proper germination of yew seeds. Continue watering. Yew seeds can take a long time to germinate, some seeds can still germinate up to two years after planting. Warning:
Yew trees contain the highly poisonous taxane alkaloids that have been developed as anti-cancer drugs. Eating just a few leaves can make a small child severely ill and fatalities have occurred. All parts of the tree are poisonous.
The fact that Japanese yew doesn’t mix with dogs or children is an important limiting factor in the tree’s use. Consider the toxicity of the plant along with the way you and your family will use your garden before deciding to plant Japanese yew.