Taxus cuspidata
Siebold & Zucc.
Japanese yew
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(c) igor_yatsenko, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) igor_yatsenko, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fleshy fruit can be eaten raw or made into jam. It is very sweet and gelatinous — most people find it delicious, though some find it sickly. Each berry is about 8mm in diameter and contains a single seed. All other parts of this plant, including the seed, are highly poisonous. When eating the fruit, the seed should be spat out. Swallowing the seed whole may allow it to pass through without harm, but if it has been bitten into, it could cause problems.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant. They are hardy. It will grow in most alkaline soils. It needs an open, sunny position. It is resistant to drought. It suits hardiness zones 4-9. Hobart Botanical gardens.
Asia, Australia, Canada, China, Georgia, Indochina, Japan*, Korea, Laos, North America, SE Asia, Slovenia, Tasmania, USA,
How to Identify
A small evergreen tree. It grows 15 m high and spreads 6 m wide. The leaves are like needles and are single and keeled. They are sickle shaped. They tend to radiate out from the twigs. They are pale green above and have 2 yellowish-green bands underneath. The bud scales are triangle shaped. The pollen cones are small and in amongst the leaves. The fruit are small red berries.
How to Grow
Thrives in almost any soil, acid or alkaline, as long as it is well-drained. Succeeds in dry soils. Very shade tolerant. The dormant plant is hardy to about -35°c but it requires more summer heat and humidity than T. baccata and is rarely more than a shrub in Britain. Young shoots can be damaged by late spring frosts. The foliage may turn reddish-brown in cold winters. There are several named varieties selected for their ornamental value. Plants produce very little fibrous root and should be planted in their final positions when still small. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if fruit and seed is required. Female plants fruit freely in Britain if they are pollinated.
Propagation: Seed can be very slow to germinate, often taking 2 or more years. Sowing as soon as the seed is ripe in autumn gives the best chance of germination around 18 months later. Stored seed may take 2 or more years. Four months of warm stratification followed by 4 months of cold stratification may help shorten germination time. Harvesting seed green — fully developed but not yet dried on the plant — and sowing immediately has not been found to reduce germination time, as inhibiting factors develop too early. Prick seedlings into individual pots once large enough to handle, and grow on in a cold frame. Seedlings are very slow-growing and will likely need at least 2 years in pots before planting out, ideally in late spring or early summer after the last frosts. Half-ripe terminal shoot cuttings, 5–8cm long, taken in July/August in a shaded frame should root by late September; leave in the frame over winter and plant out the following late spring — success rate is high. Ripe terminal shoot cuttings can also be taken in winter after a hard frost, in a shaded frame.
Medicinal Uses
Modern research has shown that yew trees contain the compound taxol in their shoots and bark. Taxol has shown exciting potential as an anti-cancer drug, particularly for ovarian cancers. This remedy is very toxic and should only be used under the supervision of a qualified practitioner, even when applied externally. A compound used to treat diabetes is also extracted from the wood, bark, leaves, and roots.
Other Uses
The heartwood yields a brown dye — red according to another report. An oil can be extracted from the seeds. The wood is hard, strong, elastic, and fine-grained, taking a beautiful polish. It is used for furniture, bows, building construction, furniture manufacture, and as a carving material.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Taxus cuspidata, the Japanese yew or spreading yew, is a member of the genus Taxus, native to Japan, Korea, northeast China and the extreme southeast of Russia.
Notes
There are about 6 Taxus species.
Names & Synonyms
Hwasolnamu, Japonska tisa
References (10)
- Abh. Math.-Phys. Cl. Koenigl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. 4(3):232. 1846 (Fl. jap. fam. nat. 2:110.)
- Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1402
- Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 240
- Farrar, J.L., 1995, Trees of the Northern United States and Canada. Iowa State University press/Ames p 125
- http://www.botanic-gardens-ljubljana.com/en/plants
- Lord, E.E., & Willis, J.H., 1999, Shrubs and Trees for Australian gardens. Lothian. p 89
- NYBG Herbarium "edible"
- Ong, H. G., et al, 2015, Ethnobotany of the wild edible plants gathered in Ulleung Island, South Korea. Genet Resourc Crop Evol. Springer
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
- Toupal, R. S. & Hollenback, K., 2009, An Ethnobotany of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: Plant Uses of the Ojibwa People. Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology. University of Arizona
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