Yew (Taxus media)
Tracheophyte: Gymnosperm: Yew (Taxaceae)
Non-native from Asia/Europe
Habitat: lawns and landscaped areas.
ID Features: dark green evergreen with short needles.
Natural History: The yew that is grown in urban and suburban yards is a hybrid between a Japanese and English yew. It is an evergreen that does not shed its needles annually. It is very adaptable, growing in shade to full-sun areas. It is grown only as an ornamental, its wood is of no value. It prefers well-drained but slightly moist soils. Yews are gymnosperms and do not make flowers. They produce brown cones which make their seeds.
Trees of Missouri by Carl Settergren and Re. E. McDermott, University of Missouri-Columbia Agricultural Experiment Station, ©1979.