Taxus x media | Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum

A hybrid yew outside of the EH Butler Library.

The smooth, grey-brown bark of a hybrid yew.

A tiny spiderweb hangs from the needles of a hybrid yew.

The needles of a hybrid yew are longer and smoother than those of an English yew. They also lack the English yew's sharp tip.

Scientific name: Taxus x media

Common name: Anglo-Japanese Yew, Hybrid Yew

Native: No

Native range: It is a cultivated hybrid of Taxus baccata (native to Europe) and Taxus cuspidata (native to Japan) [1,2,3].

Distribution in North America: Click to view the USDA Plants Database page for T. x media.

USDA Zones: 4B-7A [3]

Maximum age: Likely to be long-lived, given that T. baccata often survives for longer than 1,000 years [4].

Ecology: This non-native is unlikely to be of value to native North American fauna, however it does sometimes attract pests such as mealybugs and weevils [3].

Ethnobotany: This hybrid is mainly used in ornamental plantings and to create screens of foliage, however its European parent - Taxus baccata - has long history of symbolism in Britain [4].