Taxus media seed
LATIN NAME: TAXUS MEDIA
COMMON NAME: Anglo-Japanese Yew, Hybrid Yew
The Taxus media, or Anglo-Japanese yew, is one of the most popular and useful of the evergreen shrubs, and its dense, dark-green, needle-like foliage and its tolerance of the clipping and the shade have made it a favourite of the hedges and the topiary across the temperate world, while all parts of the plant except the fleshy aril are considered toxic if eaten. It grows as a dense, evergreen shrub or a small tree of the yew family, reaching up to ten metres or more, with the reddish-brown, peeling bark and the dense, spreading habit bearing the flat, dark-green, needle-like leaves in the two rows along the stems, and bearing the male and the female flowers on separate plants, the female flowers developing into the small, red, fleshy, cup-like arils which contain the single, toxic seed. It is a hybrid of the garden origin, between the Taxus baccata and the Taxus cuspidata, while it has been cultivated widely as a hedge and a topiary plant, and it is known as the Anglo-Japanese yew or the hybrid yew.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Anglo-Japanese yew has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the chemistry and the natural-products science, since the Taxus species contain the potent taxane alkaloids including the paclitaxel, and the researchers have examined the leaves, the bark, their constituents and their composition, while the study of the yew family plants and their chemistry has drawn attention in the international natural-products press, and the plant is best appreciated as a subject of study and an ornamental shrub rather than a casual remedy, as it is toxic if eaten. The plant has also been studied in the horticulture and the landscape science, since the Anglo-Japanese yew is one of the most popular evergreen shrubs for the hedges and the topiary, and the researchers have examined its many cultivars, its cultivation and its value in the landscape, while the study of the evergreen shrubs has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in the ecology, since it is a plant of the woodlands and a food source for the birds which eat the fleshy arils, and its role in the ecosystems has been examined, while the dense, dark-green foliage and the red arils of the Anglo-Japanese yew have been of interest to the botanists and the gardeners. For a shrub of such popularity, the Taxus media has a rich and distinguished record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
To grow the Anglo-Japanese Yew from seed, the Anglo-Japanese yew is a dense, evergreen shrub of the temperate regions, bearing the flat, dark-green, needle-like leaves and the small, red, fleshy arils in the autumn. Its red arils are a food for the birds, and its dense, evergreen habit gives a fine hedge and a topiary in the garden and the landscape, while its tolerance of the shade and the clipping makes it a valuable plant for the formal garden. Its economic value is real: the Anglo-Japanese yew is prized as a dense, evergreen shrub for the hedges and the topiary, and its value has drawn attention in the international horticultural press, while the dark-green foliage and the easy cultivation have made it a favourite of the gardens and the landscapes, and the shrub is a fine addition to the hedge, the topiary and the woodland garden. To raise the Anglo-Japanese yew, sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a cool, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little shrubs on in the light.
sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a cool, bright place, keep the young yew gently watered, and grow the little shrubs on in the light.
Taxus x media is a hybrid designation for a large number of shrubby, often wide-spreading crosses of English yew (Taxus baccata) and Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata).
These hybrids are noted for combining the ornamental excellence of English yew with the winter hardiness of Japanese yew. Although primarily resembling T. cuspitata in appearance, the various hybrid cultivars can vary considerably in size and character.
Height ranges from 2-20 tall depending on the cultivar. Two ranked, pointed, oblong to needle-like, olive to dark green leaves are attractive year round. Bark is scaly brown. Plants are dioecious (separate male and female plants).
Female plants produce red, berry-like fruits instead of cones. Each fruit has a single seed almost completely surrounded by a fleshy red aril. All parts of this plant are poisonous if ingested.
Medicinal use of Yew: The yew tree is a highly toxic plant that has occasionally been used medicinally, mainly in the treatment of chest complaints. Modern research has shown that the plants contain the substance “taxol” in their shoots. Taxol has shown exciting potential as an anti-cancer drug, particularly in the treatment of ovarian cancers.
This remedy should be used with great caution and only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. All parts of the plant, except the fleshy fruit, are antispasmodic, cardiotonic, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, narcotic and purgative. The leaves have been used internally in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, hiccup, indigestion, rheumatism and epilepsy. Externally, the leaves have been used in a steam bath as a treatment for rheumatism. A homeopathic remedy is made from the young shoots and the berries. It is used in the treatment of many diseases including cystitis, eruptions, headaches, heart and kidney problems, rheumatism etc.
Edible parts of Yew: Fruit – raw. Very sweet and gelatinous, most people find it delicious though some find it sickly. A number of people who like the flavor do not like the texture which is often described as being “snotty”. All other parts of this plant, including the seed, are highly poisonous. When eating the fruit you should spit out the large seed found in the fruits center. Should you swallow the whole seed it will just pass straight through you without harm. If it is bitten into, however, you will notice a very bitter flavor and the seed should immediately be spat out or it could cause some problems. The fruit is a fleshy berry about 10 mm in diameter and containing a single seed. Some reports suggest using the bark as a tea substitute, this would probably be very unwise.
Other uses of the herb: . A decoction of the leaves is used as an insecticide. Wood – heavy, hard, durable, elastic, takes a good polish but requires long seasoning. Highly esteemed by cabinet makers, it is also used for bows, tool handles etc. It makes a good firewood. The wood is burnt as an incense.