Pacific yew

Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia) is a species of yew native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. It is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree, growing 10-15 m tall and with a trunk up to 50 cm diameter, rarely more. The tree is highly shade-tolerant and able to reproduce under dense shade.

Description

The Pacific Yew is a coniferous tree, with the leaves arranged spirally on the stem, but with the leaf bases twisted to align the leaves in two flat rows either side of the stem. The leaves are lanceolate, flat, dark green above, and with two blue-white stomatal bands below. The seed cones are highly modified, each cone containing a single seed 4-7 mm long partly surrounded by a modified scale which develops into a soft, bright red berry-like structure called an aril.

Distribution and Habitat

The Pacific Yew is found in the Pacific Northwest of North America, from southernmost Alaska south to central California, mostly near the Pacific coast, but extending inland as far as western Montana. It prefers moist, shady forests, often growing as an understory tree in coniferous forests.

Uses

The wood of the Pacific Yew is hard and fine-grained, and has been used historically for making bows and other small woodcraft. The tree's bark contains taxol, a potent anti-cancer drug. The discovery of this compound in the 1960s led to a surge in demand for the bark, which threatened the species with extinction.

Conservation

Conservation efforts for the Pacific Yew include restrictions on logging and the development of methods to synthesize taxol in the laboratory. The species is currently listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.

See Also

• Yew
• Taxol
• IUCN Red List