A modern reference to temperate woody plants, including updated content from this site and much new material, can be found at Trees and Shrubs Online.

Taxus canadensis Marsh.

Canadian Yew

Modern name

Taxus canadensis Marshall

A shrub of spreading habit, often low and straggling, sometimes 4 to 6 ft high; winter buds small, roundish, the scales loose, roundish at the apex, ridged at the back. Leaves 12 to 34 in. long, 116 to 112 in. wide; linear, terminated by a fine rather abrupt point, shortly stalked; dark glossy green above, paler green beneath. Fruit red, as in T. baccata.

Native of eastern N. America, from Newfoundland to Virginia; introduced in 1800. The Canadian yew is distinguishable from the English yew by the invariably shrubby habit, by the more abruptly pointed leaves, and by the leaf-buds, but can scarcely be said to differ from it more than the varieties of common yew do among themselves. It has little to recommend it beyond its botanical interest, except that it is the hardiest of the yews and can be grown where it is too cold for T. baccata.


Genus

Taxus

Other species in the genus