Taxus cuspidata
Japanese Yew

Taxus cuspidata - Foliage
 Genus:
 Plant Type:
 Growth Forms:
 Hardiness:
 Deciduous / Evergreen:
 Foliage Notes:
Green (Evergreen foliage that is glossy, deep green above and yellow-green below)
 Fruit Notes:
Red;brown (Female plants have a fleshy, red aril that surrounds a hard, brown nutlet; the aril is the only part of Taxus that is not poisonous)
 Ultimate Height:
10-40 feet
 Ultimate Spread:
10-40 feet
 Soil Notes:
Very adaptable to different types of soils, except those that are poorly drained
 Range:
Japan, Korea, and Manchuria
 Diagnostic Characteristics:
The flat, needle-like leaves (0.5-1" long) are indistinctly 2-ranked (Taxus x media is more prominently 2-ranked), upright and irregularly V-shaped. Two yellowish bands are present on the leaf underside. Pointed bud scales (T. x media has blunt bud scales). First year stems olive-colored and second year stems are brown (T. x media stems are olive-colored in both the first and second years).
 Purdue Plant Doctor

Additional Information

Very functional and durable broad-columnar tree or multi-stemmed shrub. Dioecious. Tolerates shade and heavy pruning. Bark peels on older specimens. All parts of Taxus, except the fleshy, red aril, are poisonous. Can be significantly damaged by deer.

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