Pacific yew, Taxus brevifolia, is a slow-growing conifer of the family Taxaceae found as a shaded understory tree in old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest of North America. Its bark and needles contain paclitaxel, a compound isolated in the 1960s and developed into the chemotherapy drug marketed as Taxol, used to treat ovarian, breast and other cancers, a discovery that brought the previously overlooked species sudden scientific and commercial attention.
Facts
Classification
DietPhotosynthetic Autotroph 1 System (Realm) Relationship to PeopleUsed in Traditional Medicine 1 Living or Extinct Comparison
NatureServe Rank CITES Appendix Scientific Name Conservation Status Connections
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Taxus brevifolia (Wikipedia)
Uses
The foliage and bark were used for medicinal purposes.
Lead, sentence naming the group it belongs to
Taxus brevifolia, the Pacific yew or western yew, is a species of conifer in the yew family, Taxaceae, native to the Pacific Northwest of North America.
Article text
Unlike the typical variety, thicket yew grows in abundance on open sunny avalanche shoots or ravines as well as in the forest understory.
system statement
Unlike the typical variety, thicket yew grows in abundance on open sunny avalanche shoots or ravines as well as in the forest understory.
In Biome: River, Distribution and habitat
It grows in varying types of environments; however, in drier environments it is mostly limited to stream-side habitats, whereas in moist environments it will grow up onto slopes and ridgetops, at least as high in altitude as 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) above sea level.
View the Source2. GBIF Species API
3. NatureServe Explorer: Taxus brevifolia
NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)Quote, Global rank (roundedGRank)
"roundedGRank": "G5"
4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Pinales
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12387Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12387
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Plantae","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":"Pinales","family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[],"cites_listings":[]
5. Wikidata: Pacific Yew
Wikidata- Wikidata Q2065540, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): near threatened.
- Wikidata Q2065540 (P225 taxon name)
- Child Taxon Of: Plantae, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source 6. Pacific Yew (Wikipedia)
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Taxus
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12857Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12857
"cites_listing":"II/NC","eu_listing":"B/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Plantae","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":"Pinales","family":"Taxaceae"},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[],"cites_listings":[]
Plant (Wikipedia)
Lead, whole group is photosyntheticQuote, Lead, whole group is photosynthetic
They are predominantly photosynthetic or came from photosynthetic ancestors, meaning that they obtain their energy from sunlight by using the green pigment chlorophyll in their chloroplasts to produce sugars from carbon dioxide and water.
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