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Yew

©Amy Lewis

Yew

The Yew is a well-known tree of churchyards, but also grows wild on chalky soils. Yew trees can live for hundreds of years, turning into a maze of hollow wood and fallen trunks beneath dense foliage.

Scientific name

Taxus baccata

When to see

January to December

Species information

Category

Statistics

Height: up to 20m
Common.

About

The Yew is a medium-sized, evergreen tree commonly found in churchyards - more than 500 churchyards in England and Wales alone contain Yew trees that are at least as old as the church itself. This association with Christian religion (and possibly even older beliefs) and its ability to reach extreme old age have ensured that Yew is now surrounded by many myths. In fact, the dead were sometimes buried beneath Yew trees to 'protect' them. Wild Yew is mainly found on well-drained chalk and limestone soils, so the prevalence of old trees in churchyards in South East and Central England, Wales and the Lake District mirrors this preference.

How to identify

The Yew is a very recognisable tree: it has dense, glossy, dark green needles and bright red berries with a single dark seed.

Distribution

Widespread.

Did you know?

One of the oldest Yew trees in the UK is the Fortingall Yew in Scotland, which is estimated at somewhere between 2,000 and 9,000 years old. Ancient Yews such as this tend to have buttressed, hollow or multiple trunks, and fallen boughs, making them a maze of wood beneath the dense foliage.