Native North American Yew Trees

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The Yew family contains both the Torreya and Taxus genera, which consists mainly of evergreen shrubs and small trees with have flat, linear needles. They are also gymnosperms meaning they bear naked seeds. The foliage and seeds of members in the Yew family are extremely poisonous both to people and livestock. Care should be taken to ensure livestock cannot browse on Yew. People have died from eating the seeds and consuming teas made from the leaves. Yew trees are prized as ornamentals and for their wood, particularly in bow making.

Florida Torreya (Torreya taxifolia)
Common names: Stinking Cedar,
Florida Nutmeg, Polecat Cedar...
Height: 30-40 ft
Diameter: 12-20 inches
Showy flower: no
Fall colors: no- evergreen conifer
Drought tolerance: low
Annual rainfall: 30-60 inches
Soil Needs: moist, sandy loam
Frost Free Days: 270
Minimum Tempurature (F): 12
Growth Rate: moderate
Shade Tolerance: differs with age
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ENDANGERED

It typically grows between 30-40 ft in height but once stood up to 50 ft. Sadly, there are no large trees left in their natural habitat. Florida Torreya is on the federal list of endangered species as well as Florida and Georgia's. It is estimated there are only 1,500 trees left in the wild and its demise has been
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Florida Yew (Taxus floridana Nutt. ex Chapm.)

Height: 15-25 ft
Diameter:
Showy flower:No
Fall colors:No, evergreen
Drought tolerant: medium
Annual rainfall:
Soil Needs:
Frost Free Days:
Minimum Temperature (F):
Growth Rate:

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ENDANGERED

A conifer with a short trunk with numerous stout, horizontal, spreading branches. The purplish-brown bark is smooth when young, becoming separated into thin, irregular scales with age. Seeds and foliage of the Florida Yew, as with all Yew members, is extremely poisonous to humans and livestock.
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Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia Nutt.)

Height: 20-40 ft
Diameter: 1-2 ft
Showy flower: no
Fall colors: no-evergreen
Drought tolerant: medium
Annual rainfall: 24-60
Soil Needs: moist, rich, well-draining
Frost Free Days: 140
Minimum Temperature (F): -18
Growth Rate:
State List: AK, CA, ID, MT, NV, OR,
WA ...more

Pacific Yew(Taxus brevifolia Nutt.) is a long lived conifer in the Yew family. It usually grows between 20-40 feet, occasionally up to 75, 1-2 feet in diameter. Bark is reddish purple and flakes off in irregular, thin patches. Flowers bloom in early summer, producing male and female cones on separate trees. Eventually, they develop into fleshy, red seed containing cups, or
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