Taxus canadensis - (image 1 of 6)
Taxonomy
Family: Taxaceae
Habitat
Shaded dune slopes. North facing slopes. Coniferous woods and bogs. Very shade tolerant.
Associates
Distribution
Newfoundland and Labrador west to MN and southeast Manitoba, south to VA, KY, and IA.
Morphology
Low, evergreen shrub with ascending or less often erect stem to 2 m. Leaves spirally arranged but twisted at the base so as to appear two-ranked, abruptly narrowed to a sharp point, with a short petiolar base; scale of winter buds keeled and more or less acute. Seeds solitary on short, bracteate, axillary shoots, and covered by a fleshy, bright orange-red, aril-like covering.
Notes
Flowers in May
Wetland indicator: Facultative Upland
Not nearly as robust as the Yews used in landscaping, such as T. baccata L. (English Yew) or T. cuspidata Siebold & Zucc. (Japanese Yew). Frequently browsed by White-tailed Deer.
References
Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.
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Michael Hough © 2005 |