Taxus brevifolia
Taxus brevifolia
Safety & Hazards
All parts of the plant, except the flesh of the fruit (actually an aril), are potentially highly poisonous. They contain the alkaloid taxine and , if ingested, can cause nervousness, trembling, slow pulse, pupil dilation, difficult breathing, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness and convulsions - in larger doses it can be fatal, having a paralyzing affect on the heart[ 1 Title RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Publication Author F. Chittendon. Publisher Oxford University Press Year 1951 ISBN - Description Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]). , 4 Title A Modern Herbal. Publication Author Grieve. Publisher Penguin Year 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 Description Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants. , 7 Title Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. Publication Author Chiej. R. Publisher MacDonald Year 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5 Description Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs. , 10 Title Poisonous Plants and Animals. Publication Author Altmann. H. Publisher Chatto and Windus Year 1980 ISBN 0-7011-2526-8 Description A small book, reasonable but not very detailed. , 19 Title Poisonous Plants. Publication Author Stary. F. Publisher Hamlyn Year 1983 ISBN 0-600-35666-3 Description Not very comprehensive, but easy reading. , 65 Title A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Publication Author Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. Publisher Wolfe Year 1984 ISBN 0723408394 Description Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far. , 293 Title Poisonous Plants of North Carolina Publication Author Website http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes. ]. Another report says that the toxic alkaloid found in other yews, known as taxine, is not found in this species and that the toxicity of this species has not been conclusively proven[ 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ].
Botanical Description
Taxus brevifolia is an evergreen shrub or small tree with an open, conical crown; it usually grows around 6 - 15 metres tall, occasionally reaching 25 metres, though in drier forests it can be a shrub.forming broad mats that may be several times wider than tall. The bole is straight to contorted, often fluted; it can be up to 60cm in diameter[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. , 329 Title The Gymnosperm Database Publication Author Website http://www.conifers.org/index.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms. , 379 Title Silvics of North America. Agricultural Handbook No. 654. Publication Author Burns. R.M. & Honkala. B.H. Website http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/table_of_contents.htm Publisher USDA Forest Service; Washington DC. Year 1990 ISBN Description A very comprehensice guide to about 200 species of timber trees of N. America, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Mainly temperate species, plus a number of tropical species. It is downloadable from the Internet. ]. The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. The leaves and bark are a source of the anticancer drug 'taxol' and are harvested from the wild on a commercial scale. The plant is sometimes grown as an ornamental. Taxus brevifolia has undergone a population decline within the last three generations that is estimated to be less than 30%. A significant part of that decline related to its overexploitation for the production of anti-cancer medicines. This exploitation has largely ceased following the development of alternative methods for Taxol production and the focus on exploiting Asian Yew species. A second cause for the decline relates to habitat destruction from logging activities. This is continuing but at a lower rate. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].