Home and Landscape
Yew
- Taxus spp.
- Family Taxaceae (Yew family)
Plant Identification
Yews are coniferous evergreen shrubs or trees. Leaves are dark green needles. Yews produce cup-like, single-seeded berrylike fruit. Only female plants produce berries, mostly red. Fruit and leaves are poisonous if ingested.
Optimum conditions for growth
Yews are often grown as hedges or screens. They do well in sun or shade and require moderate or regular amounts of water. They are tolerant of many soil types but don’t do as well in soils that are too alkaline or too acidic. They do not like extremely hot areas. Dry winds and very low temperatures can damage foliage. Hose plants off every couple of weeks during times of hot, dry weather.
