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English Yew

Conifers and Other Gymnosperms

Taxus baccata is an Old World species of evergreen tree in the family Taxaceae, the tree originally known simply as yew, though it is sometimes called common yew, European yew or, in North America, English yew to distinguish it from related species. It grows as a woodland tree across much of Eurasia and Northwest Africa, and every part of the plant except the fleshy aril is poisonous. Its wood has long been prized for longbows and for musical instruments such as lutes, and the tree is widely grown as an ornamental, hedge or topiary, including in churchyards, where it is often associated with death, immortality and rebirth and sometimes reaches great age.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Photosynthetic Autotroph 1
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 1
Relationship to People
Used in Traditional Medicine 2
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Derived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status.
Comparison
NatureServe Rank
GNR Unranked 3
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 4
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
Thin, scaly reddish-brown bark that comes off in small flakes aligned with the stem 1
Scientific Name
Taxus baccata 1
Conservation Status
Least Concern 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Plantae, Taxa
Source Wikidata: English Yew

In Biome

Source Plants For A Future: Taxus baccata
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Taxus baccata
  • Lead, sentence 1
    Taxus baccata is a species of coniferous tree in the family Taxaceae.
  • Infobox: status
    LC
  • Description, sentence 2
    The bark is thin, scaly reddish-brown, and comes off in small flakes aligned with the stem.
  • system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
    It is a woodland tree in its native range, which spans much of Europe and parts of West Asia, the Caucasus and Northwest Africa.
  • lead sentence (diet), EntityId 295835
    Taxus baccata is a species of coniferous tree in the family Taxaceae.
View the Source
2. Plants For A Future: Taxus baccata
Plants For A Future
  • Medicinal Uses
    The leaves have been used internally in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, hiccup, indigestion, rheumatism and epilepsy.
  • In Biome: Temperate Forest, Habitats
    Woods and scrub, usually on limestone. It sometimes forms pure stands in sheltered sites on chalk in the south-east and on limestone in the north-west
View the Source
3. NatureServe Explorer: Taxus baccata
NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)
Quote, Global rank (roundedGRank)
"roundedGRank": "GNR"
View the Source
4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Pinales
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12387
Quote, 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":[]
View the Source
Wikidata: English Yew
Wikidata
  • Wikidata Q179729, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • Child Taxon Of: Plantae, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Taxus
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12857
Quote, 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":[]
View the Source
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