It's About Yew

Explanation: Hey, yew! Yes, this is a common yew, also known by various other names (European yew, English yew, Irish yew, and much more). Here, we are just northwest of Paris, in an historic park.

Common yews occur widely in Europe down to the Middle East and parts of northern Africa, and have been cultivated throughout North America with a number of cultivar variants. Sources suggest they were used to make spears in England from about 400,000 years ago.

In Europe, the common yew is ... well, not common; it is endangered, from changes in land use and intensive forest management.

Enjoy the beauty of this tree but know how toxic it is! The seeds and the needles contain poisonous alkoids. And the bark and the wood are also toxic. However, apparently the red skin of the seed can be eaten as a delicacy, but do not chew the seed itself!

Despite its toxicity, the bark, branch tips, and needles are of medicinal use and value.
Pacific yews in western U.S. were harvested for their bark to make prescription drugs (taxol) to treat ovarian and breast cancer, but now that is synthesized in the lab, leaving the trees intact.

Information:
Ruprecht, H., A. Dhar, B. Aigner, G. Oitzinger, R. Klumpp, and H. Vacik. 2009. Structural diversity of English yew (Taxus baccata L.) populations. European Journal of Forest Research 129:189-198.

EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week