WESTERN YEW
taxus brevifolia

• also known as Pacific Yew
• some historians believe that the bow Robin Hood used was made from English yew; hence 'taxus', the Latin word for "bow"

UNIQUE FEATURES:

• taxol, which is used in some cancer treatment, is derived from the bark of the western yew
• food for elk, deer, moose, caribou
• food for elk, deer, moose, caribou
• square shape in young trees becoming more coneshaped with age
• branches spread horizontally, or sweeping downwards, trunk is twisted

LOCATION:

• wetter forests in the coast and interior of BC
• low to mid elevations
• areas of abundant soil nutrients

SIZE:

• 5 to 15 metres in height
• appears like a low spreading shrub or small tree

CONES/FRUIT:

• pollen cones are produced on the male trees
• seed cones, produced on the female tree, appear as a coral-red/salmon coloured, fleshy "berry" which contains a single seed

NEEDLES:

• shiny, flat, sharp, pointed tip
• the top side is a darker green than any other conifer, the underside is a pale yellowish-green
• ridge down the centre
• arranged spirally on twigs

BARK:

• thin, scaly
• dark reddish or purplish
• rose coloured underbark is exposed when scales peel off

WOOD CHARACTERISTICS:

• dense, strong, resilient

USES:

• modern - taxol
• traditional - bows, tools, paddles, snowshoe frames; the fruit, although considered toxic, was sometimes eaten in small amounts; inner bark: braiding, weaving