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Taxaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Cephalotaxus fortunei

Cephalotaxus fortunei

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Cephalotaxus fortunei is fairly cold tolerant when dormant, tolerating temperatures that can fall below -15°c[1]. The young growth in spring however, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[PFAF]. Prefers a moist well-drained sandy soil but succeeds in most soils though it dislikes dry gravelly or chalky soils[2, 3]. Prefers a position in semi-shade but tolerates full shade[4, 5] and it also succeeds but does not usually thrive in full sun[3]. It grows very well in the mild wet coastal region of W. Scotland where it succeeds even in full sun[3]. Requires a humid sheltered site[3], strongly disliking very exposed positions[2]. The Chinese plum yew is a very slow growing shrub or small tree[6] that has excellent potential as a nut crop in Britain. It usually fruits regularly and well in most parts of the country[PFAF] and does well in Cornwall[7]. Trees growing in the shade of other conifers fruit regularly and heavily at Kew Botanical gardens and, unlike most nut trees there, the seeds do not get eaten by the squirrels[PFAF]. Although we have seen no records of edibility for the seed of this species, the closely related Cephalotaxus harringtonia does have edible seed[PFAF]. There are some named forms selected for their ornamental value[3]. 'Grandis' is a long leafed female form[3]. 'Longifolia' is male but otherwise similar to 'Grandis'[3]. 'Prostrata' (syn 'Prostrate Spreader') is a procumbent ground-covering plant that arose as cuttings from a side-shoot of a normal plant[3], a plant of this cultivar was seen with a very heavy crop of immature fruit in mid September 1994 at Hillier Arboretum[PFAF]. Plants are dioecious, but female plants sometimes produce fruits and infertile seeds in the absence of any male plants[4]. However, at least one male plant for every five females should be grown if you are growing the plants for fruit and seed. Plants have also been known to change sex[5]. Male cones are produced in the axils of the previous year's leaves, whilst female cones are borne at the base of branchlets[3].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[8], it should then germinate in the following spring[PFAF]. A hard seedcoat can delay germination, especially in if the seed is not sown as soon as it is ripe[5, PFAF]. Stored seed should be cold-stratified and sown in a cold frame in the spring[3]. Germination can take 18 months or more. Prick out the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least their first winter under cover. Plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Greenwood cuttings of terminal shoots, mid summer to early autumn in a humid cold frame[2, 3]. Difficult[8]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Cephalotaxus+fortunei>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]The Gymnosperm Database — http://www.conifers.org/index.htm ↩︎A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms.
  2. [2]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  5. [5]Conifers. — Rushforth. K. · Christopher Helm · 1987 · ISBN 0-7470-2801-X ↩︎Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.
  6. [6]Conifers in the British Isles. — Mitchell. A. F. · HMSO · 1975 · ISBN 0-11-710012-9 ↩︎A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.
  7. [7]Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall. — Thurston. ↩︎Trees and shrubs that succeed in Cornwall based on the authors own observations. Good but rather dated.
  8. [8]The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. — Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. · Athens Ga. Varsity Press · 1987 · ISBN 0942375009 ↩︎A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
  9. [9]A taxonomic revision of the genus Cephalotaxus (Taxaceae) — Xue-Dong Lang; Jian-Rong Su; Shu-Gang Lu & Zhi-Jun Zhang · Magnolia Press · 2013 · http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.84.1.1 · ISBN 1179-3163 ↩︎A review of the genus Cephalotaxus. It can be downloaded from the Internet
  10. [10]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  11. [11]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  12. [12]Medicinal Plants of China — Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. · Reference Publications, Inc. · 1985 · ISBN 0-917256-20-4 ↩︎Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
  13. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎