Outwardly, this plant resembles a Christmas tree familiar to us, but with berries.
Yew berry (at picture), as an ornamental plant, has many advantages, and its cultivation will not cause problems even for a novice gardener. Get to know the most popular type of yew.
Yew berry description
Yew berry (Taxus baccata) It is an evergreen tree or large shrub. Extremely shade loving. It reaches 20 m in height. growing very slowly, at first by 10-15 cm per year, then its growth stops. This is one of the slowest growing plants among all crops grown in Ukraine.
Crown young plant conical, later – rounded, very dense. Cora thin, scaly, smooth, brownish. In young plants, the bark is greenish, then reddish-orange and brown.
Wood rigid, high density, flexible. Pine up to 2–3 cm long. It is flattened, slightly bent, soft. Its upper side is dark green, shiny, the lower side is pale, matte.
Tops are pointed. No white streaks and no hint of resin. Pine without aroma. It remains on the shoots for 6–8 years. root system yew trees dense and well branched.
Initially thousand grew up in Europe, Morocco and Western Asia. Currently, in natural conditions, it is very rare. Usually growing up alonemainly in moist and shady mountain forests and foothills, and sometimes grows in lowlands.
From described strawberry yew it is clear that there is nothing special about it. Nevertheless, it turns out that we are dealing with an interesting plant. First, as you know yews live a very long time, usually up to 300 years. But there are individual specimens, whose age reaches 2000 years. Secondly, they belong to rare plants. So today buy yew berry It is possible only in specialized nurseries and shops.
Note! Previously thousand highly valued as a source of durable and hard wood. In past centuries, it was mainly used in carpentry. It was also used to make weapons, household appliances, and sometimes in the construction industry. For this reason, yews cut out, and they almost completely disappeared. tree today strictly guarded.
Finally, especially It should be noted very unusual yew seeds. They are resemble berrieswhich is an exception among coniferous trees, which are known to form cones (the vast majority). Ripen from August to September. They remain on the shoots for the winter, so they serve as food for birds.
The seed is large, ovoid, light brown or olive in color, surrounded by half arillus – a bright red, fleshy, very sticky formation (seed). Arillus is edible, sweet in taste. And seeds and needles, young shoots and bark are highly toxic.
Yew berry — dioecious plant, so not all of its specimens bear fruit. Male and female flowers grow on different plants.
Popular varieties: ‘Aurea Decora’, ‘Dovastoniana’, ‘Dovastonii Aurea’, ‘Fastigiata Robusta’, ‘Rependens’, ‘Summergold’, ‘Fastigiata Aureomarginata’, ‘Elegantissima’ and others.
Yew berry care and planting
Yew berry grows well in shady places. You can choose any place in your gardenwhere no other plants will grow. Soil must be moist and fresh. The best option – this is a mixture of sand, peat and fertile land, the proportions are 2: 2: 3, add top dressing.
planted berry yew at the end of August or autumn. Have time before November, because a young plant may not tolerate early frosts. If desired, you can add some forest land to the prepared soil mixture, then the yew will grow faster.
Pay attention to distance between plants during planting. The optimal distance is 2.5 meters, and the depth of the pit is 70 centimeters.
Gently into the hole place seedling, the root neck should be flush with the ground. Gradually cover with earth. After planting, cover the ground with spruce branches to protect the young plant.
Yew berry does not require special care. You just need to periodically water your plant, as well as loosen the soil. It is enough to water the yew once a month. The soil is loosened by 15 centimeters each time after watering.
Pests and other diseases very rarely affect the tree. You don’t have to worry about leaving. It is recommended to carry out sanitary pruning, and if desired, a shaping haircut.
Yew berry in the garden
Thousand berry in the garden (at photographs) requires very fertile and moist soils, slightly acidic and alkaline. It is sensitive to frost and drought. It is often planted in gardens and parks as an ornamental plant.
From the forms of columnar yews, attractive hedges. For these purposes, the plants used are planted at a distance of 50–80 cm, at the same depth as they were grown in the nursery. Also, plants are suitable for single and group plantings. They can be grown in rocky gardens and in the city near the roads.
Substances isolated from various parts of the yew, are used for production medicines. From its alkaloid, ephedrine is obtained, which, like adrenaline, causes constriction of blood vessels, bronchial muscles and increases blood pressure (used in the treatment of asthma and low blood pressure). And the bacatin alkaloid and its derivatives can be used to obtain an antitumor agent.
Attention: All parts of the plant are highly poisonous. They contain the poisonous substance taxine and a number of other alkaloids.
Yew berry photo
Yew Berries:
Yew figures:
Published: 28.11.2016
