Common yew

Biology

The common yew is a medium-small-sized shrub and tree that grows between 10 and 20 metres tall, and whose crown is conical, broad and evergreen. It is dioecious so both male and female flowers occur on different plants. It has a false fruit - a seed surrounded by a red pips. All parts of this plant are toxic, with the exception of its red pips. The oldest known in Portugal is about 700 years old!

Conservation

Due to its toxicity, in Portugal the common yew became an enemy of the shepherds, who have been eliminating it from agricultural areas over the years. Confined to the mountainous regions of the north and centre of the country, only fires can destroy much of the abundance of the common yew that exists in Portugal.

Curiosities

Due to the characteristics of the common yew’s wood - strong, compact, elastic and resistant to rotting - this plant has been used since the middle ages in the manufacture of tools such as chests, spears, kitchen utensils and even musical instruments. Even though it is toxic, the common yew’s leaves have been used by the pharmaceutical industry for their anti-cancer substance, taxol.