Author Topic: Is this English Yew?  (Read 2972 times)

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Offline Stickhead

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Is this English Yew?
« on: May 07, 2020, 10:21:16 am »
I have a small tree / large shrub that's growing too close to the house, and I need to give it the axe.  It looks different than the yew bushes I have, in that it grows more vertically, and has leaves lined up on opposite sides of the twig.  It has no cones or berries, so I assume it's a male.  I'm in Northern VA.  I think a couple of the trunks are large enough to have bows in them. 

So is it a yew?





Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2020, 10:23:37 am »
Yup, that's a yew tree. What variety? Got me there.
Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Hawkdancer

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2020, 10:32:40 am »
Might get your county or city forester to look at it for yew >:D (lol) Pun intended!  Couldn't resist!
Hawkdancer
Life is far too serious to be taken that way!
Jerry

Offline DC

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2020, 10:33:31 am »
The needles look like Hicks Yew but Hicks looks more upright(multi stemmed) than your pictures. Hicks is a hybrid and I can't find what it's parents are. Maybe one is English Yew.

Offline DC

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #4 on: May 07, 2020, 10:38:25 am »
Do a search on Taxus baccatta and see if that's what you've got. I'm thinking it is English Yew.

Offline Stickhead

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2020, 11:01:38 am »
Do a search on Taxus baccatta and see if that's what you've got. I'm thinking it is English Yew.
I’m thinking that’s it.  I don’t think the bark is red enough for Pacific yew.

Offline DC

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #6 on: May 07, 2020, 11:07:36 am »
It's not Pacific. Pacific has completely different needles, more like a thin scaggely Hemlock.

Offline PatM

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #7 on: May 07, 2020, 11:45:47 am »
It is just a variation of European Yew.   "English" yew is not really a species.  It's just a Yew tree grown in England.

  Yew trees with leaves growing all around the twig are a cultivar of a yew from Ireland that randomly produced this quirk.

  There are also hybrids between Japanese and European Yew.

Offline Stickhead

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #8 on: May 07, 2020, 01:09:58 pm »
Good info.  Thanks, guys!

Offline dylanholderman

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #9 on: May 07, 2020, 01:11:17 pm »
Yes it’s some kind of yew, I wouldn’t discount it once being the bush style yew that has just been neglected and grown big.
I’ve seen neglected yew bushes that are 12’-14’ tall and almost as wide.

Offline PatM

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #10 on: May 07, 2020, 01:16:44 pm »
It's quite common to find yew planted next to buildings as an ornamental.   Many are just left to grow rather than pruned to shape.

Offline BowEd

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #11 on: May 07, 2020, 07:56:49 pm »
In Iowa we have a lot of yew planted around grave yards.It's always been called Irish yew.More columnular or ornamental type by entry ways.I harvested some once by a house in town after given permission.Very thick growth rings and very light weight.
Your looks different.
BowEd
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bownarra

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #12 on: May 08, 2020, 12:30:58 am »
That could be a picture from my local yew grounds and I live in England. :)

Offline Hawkdancer

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #13 on: May 08, 2020, 01:32:42 am »
Got to watch out for them Irish folk!  They are very close to the land and the "bow fairies"!  Be sure to leave a wee nip of uisge beatha in the shop!  Works wonders! >:D (lol) :BB!   (lol)!
Hawkdancer
Life is far too serious to be taken that way!
Jerry

Offline GlisGlis

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Re: Is this English Yew?
« Reply #14 on: May 08, 2020, 10:44:04 am »
show us the staves and billets  )W(