Tiss Wojtek. Yew is a coniferous tree. Types and varieties of yew

One of the fastest growing yews. It occupies an intermediate position between the yew berry and spiky. Growth is more powerful than that of the yew berry. Shrub of broad columnar form, reaching 5m in height and 3m in diameter. Annual growth is 15 cm high, 10 cm wide. The crown at the top of the plant is wider than at the base. The branches are straight, in the upper part of the plant move apart. The needles on straight shoots are radial, on lateral shoots they are distinctly two-row, 25-30 mm long and 3 mm wide, shiny, dark green above, with a distinct central vein, light green below. The root system is dense, powerful, allowing it to adapt to any conditions. The yew is especially beautiful in decorating the site with itself in the fall - bright, red berries look very impressive on it at this time. Yew is the only coniferous plant without resin, which means it is odorless. Instead of the usual coniferous plants cones forms berries-drupes. Yew is a dioecious plant. That is, it has female and male forms. Numerous bright red berries are formed on female plants, which stay on twigs until late autumn.

Prefers fertile moist calcareous soils, does not tolerate acidic soils. Can grow on clay soils. Drainage is desirable, as the plant does not tolerate excess moisture. Yew is planted in both sunny and shady places. It grows even where other plants do not take root due to lack of light. The most shade-tolerant of all conifers. At the same time, it can grow in open places. Yews grown in sufficient light give more growth, but are less protected from the influence of low temperatures. All yews are poisonous. Bark, wood, needles, seeds contain a poisonous alkaloid. People cutting yew often complain of headaches and dizziness - this is how the volatile substances secreted by this plant act on the body. Keep this in mind if there are small children in the yard. And the older the tree, the more toxic its poison. Plants planted in sheltered places after severe frosty winters better retain their appearance(coloring of needles, give abundant fruiting) than plants in open areas. All this speaks in favor of growing yew in places protected from the wind. Mature plants are more winter hardy. Yews become very fragile in winter and break easily from snow, so for the winter they are tied with a rope in one bundle to prevent snow from accumulating on individual branches.

Yew tolerates pruning and shearing, so it is often used to form borders, green hedges, and figures. Considered one of best plants to create topiary compositions. Due to slow growth, it retains its shape for a long time. Yews are also used as a backdrop for rock gardens. Thuja western, Japanese quince, juniper look spectacular with yew. It also looks good as a solitaire.

Botanical name: Canadian yew.

Homeland of Canadian yew: from Newfoundland to New Jersey.

Lighting: shade-tolerant.

The soil: drained, fertile, acidic or slightly alkaline.

Watering: moisture-loving.

Maximum tree height: 2.5 m

Average lifespan of a tree: 1500 years.

Landing: seeds, cuttings.

Description of the properties of Canadian yew

Canadian yew (lat. Taxus canadensis) is a monoecious, evergreen shrub from the Yew family, widespread in swampy forests and ravines of North America, on the banks of rivers and lakes of New Jersey to Newfoundland. At the age of 15, the bushes reach 1.3 m in height with a crown diameter of 150 cm.

This is a low plant with brownish bark and sharp, yellowish-green, slightly curved needles, reaching 2.5 cm in length and 2 mm in width. The needles are usually longer at the base than at the top, turning reddish-brown in winter. It blooms in March, the fruits are spherical, berry-like. The Canadian yew grows very slowly, the annual growth does not exceed 5 cm, it is very frost-resistant.

The leaves, bark and wood of this shrub contain the alkaloid taxine, and therefore are poisonous and very dangerous to humans and many animal species. The hard, heavy, rose-red wood has long been used by Aboriginal peoples to make canoe oars, bows, and small carpentry. The Indians knew how to use this plant for medicinal purposes, despite its toxicity. To do this, they used only yew needles, preparing a decoction from it to relieve pain in arthritis, rheumatism, used it as a medicine against fever and scurvy, and gave it to women in labor as an analgesic.

Canadian yew, the description of which is similar to the description of all plants of the Yew family, has a superficial root system. Numerous, shallow roots have mycorrhiza at the ends. Shoots are predominantly strong, rigid, upright, and adult trees are mostly recumbent, with ascending branches.

Planting and caring for Canadian yew

Canadian yew has been cultivated since 1809. It was first brought to Russia in 1947. This shrub tolerates shearing well, and after the first year of planting and heavy pruning. Trimming and pruning recommended in early spring. Basically, plants of this species are used to create hedges, alpine slides, used both in group and in single plantings.

Canadian yew, the photo of which is widely presented in our photo gallery below, should be planted on well-drained, fertile soils, preferably acidic or slightly alkaline compositions. The plant is moisture-loving and prefers partial shade. The shrub is resistant to gas pollution and smoke in the air, which makes it possible to cultivate it in urban environments. It is very frost-resistant, can survive colds down to -35 ° C, however, young shoots that are not protected by snow can be damaged. Therefore, in cold, snowy winters, young shoots should be bent to the ground and covered with spruce branches. In the first year after planting trunk circles young yews must be covered with peat, adult plants overwinter without shelter.

It is preferable to choose a place for planting a Canadian yew under a canopy and in a place protected from wind and sun. The optimal distance between plants is from 0.6 to 2.5 m, if large-sized plants are planted, then the distance between them should be at least 3-4 m. The planting hole is dug up to 70 cm deep, the root collar must be left at ground level. If Canadian yew is planted for hedges, trenches should be dug 50 cm deep and wide.

Canadian yew in nature prefers acidic soils, but when cultivated, it can also grow on neutral ones. In dry seasons, shrubs should be watered 1-2 times a month at the rate of 10-12 liters of water for each adult plant. Once every 2 weeks, to clean the needles and trunk from dust in urban conditions, yews need sprinkling.

Yew (lat. Taxus) is a genus of plants from the Yew family (lat. Taxaceae). AT natural environment yews grow in temperate zones in the northern hemisphere: in Asia, North America and western Europe. There are representatives from the tropics: Florida and Java.

Description

The genus is represented by slow-growing evergreen trees or shrubs. The annual growth is from 2 to 15 cm. Dioecious and monoecious plants can be from 1 m to 25 in height. The diameter of the trunk reaches 3 m. The crown is very dense, columnar or ovoid-cylindrical, sometimes has several peaks. The bark is reddish-gray, smooth. The trunk is covered with dormant buds, from which lateral shoots develop. Needle-shaped leaves up to 3.5 cm long, glossy, dark green. Anther and seed cones solitary, located in the axils of the leaves.

Leaves and fruits of yew

Pollination occurs in April-May. The seeds are hard, oval brown in color, surrounded by a fleshy roller, often bright red (it tastes sweet). In the natural environment grow in the second tier deciduous forests or mixed from beeches, firs, firs. All parts of the plant (except the fleshy roller) are poisonous: they contain the alkaloid taxine. It often happens that plants bloom and bear fruit for two years in a row, and then rest for a year.

Yew botanical illustration

Species and varieties

T. short-leaved(lat. T. brevifolia) or T. Pacific - a species common along the Pacific coast. Bush or tree from 5 to 25 m. It grows very slowly (over 30 years, height 1 m), the crown is wide. Branches drooping, needles 1-2 cm.

T. canadian(lat. T. canadensis) grows in the undergrowth of coniferous forests. The trees are low, bushy, from 1 m to 2 m tall. The needles are sickle-shaped, yellowish-green above, light green below. T. Canadian winter-hardy, but young seedlings cover for the winter.

T. Canadian (T. canadensis)

T. berry(lat. T. baccata) or T. European - a common species, grows almost throughout Europe, is found in the Caucasus and Asia Minor, often in mountain forests, can grow on sandy soils. Trees are dioecious. They grow up to 15-17 m, in some regions up to 25 m. They have a spreading and dense crown. The length of the needles is 2-3 cm, it is updated every 6-8 years. Flowers are laid in autumn in the axils of the leaves at the base of the branches. The seed coat is bright red. The species is shade-tolerant and frost-resistant. Perfectly tolerates haircuts and transplants. On its basis, many varieties have been bred, some of which can be purchased in nurseries.

For example: "Amersfoort"(‘Amersfoort’) is a low view with oval needles that is exceptionally interesting for landscape design.

"Fastigiata Robusta"(‘Fastigiata Robusta’) - trees with a strictly columnar crown shape and long needles. Grow up to 3-5 m.

"Summergold"(‘Summergold’) - the variety has a wide flat crown, sickle-shaped needles 2-3 cm, golden yellow color. Can be grown in sunny areas.

T. berry "Summergold" (T. baccata ‘Summergold’)

T. far east(lat. T. cuspidate) or T. spiky is a tall tree up to 20-22 m. wild nature found in Primorsky Krai, on Korean Peninsula and Japan. On Sakhalin Island, it grows only up to 3 m. irregular shape, branches are horizontal. Narrow leaves 2-3 cm long, crescent-shaped. The seeds are surrounded by a pink seedling up to half the length. They ripen in August-September. T. spiky frost-resistant, can withstand cold down to -40 ° C, tolerates drought well and has no requirements for soil composition. Popular varieties:

"Nana"(‘Nana’) - tolerates frost well, irregularly shaped crown, grows up to 2 m up and up to 10 m wide, grows annually by 5 cm, has a powerful root system.

"Expansa"(‘Expansa’) - a plant without a central trunk, vase-shaped. It grows slowly: in twenty years it grows only up to 3 m. The variety is widespread in the USA.

T. medium "Hicksie" (T. ×media ‘Hicksii’)

There are also two natural hybrids. Most famous:

T. medium(lat. T. ×media) was obtained by crossing T. berry and T. spiky. The leaves of the hybrid are softer green, and the young ones are emerald, the central vein is very clearly visible. The length of the needles is 1.5-3 cm. They grow up to 2 m. Fruiting is annual, fruit ripening in September. The hybrid reproduces well by cuttings (40% efficiency). Many varieties have been bred, for example, you can buy 'Hicksii' seedlings from us - two forms: male and female. The shape of the crown is narrow columnar. It grows up to 4 m. The branches are vertically directed. Needles 3 cm long, 0.3 mm wide, dark green, shiny. Annual growth 15 cm. Cuttings are 90% successful.

Photogallery of species

cultivation

Location. It is better to plant in places closed from the wind. Yews are one of the most shade-tolerant plants, some species grow well in lit areas.

Soils. There is no unequivocal recommendation for soils, each type has individual preferences. The most versatile mixture: garden soil, peat, sand (3:2:2). T. spiky prefers loamy soils, does not like acidified and swampy soils. T. Canadian grows well on slightly acidic and neutral. T. berry develops on alkaline and slightly acidic soils. All plants need drainage up to 20 cm. Yews are sensitive to soil pollution with heavy metals and toxins, so in urban conditions they can grow and dry out unimportantly.

Topiary masterpieces

Watering. Plants do not tolerate excessive moisture, so they need to be watered only once a month. In general, yew drought tolerant plant. He likes sprinkling, which is done once every 2 weeks in the evening.

Landing. Planted at a distance of 60 cm from each other, planting depth up to 70 cm, root collar flush with the ground. When laying hedges, trenches 50 x 50 cm are made. When planting, universal fertilizer is applied. Planting is mulched.

pruning. Yews tolerate shearing and shortening branches by a third very well. Since they grow very slowly, it only takes decorative pruning once a year (autumn).

Shaping the yew

Care. Young seedlings are mulched with peat for the winter, wrapped in the northern regions. Adult yews are hardy. So that the branches do not break under the weight of snow, the crown is pulled with ropes and the branches are pulled to the trunk. To protect against insects in the spring, they are treated with 1% karbofos.

reproduction

seeds

Seeds are harvested in autumn, stored at a temperature of 5-6 °C. The most effective is sowing in the fall, because if you do it in the spring, you will need a seven-month stratification (so they will germinate in two months, and without a procedure - only after 1-3 years). Growing a yew from seeds is a matter for the most patient, because a plant suitable for planting can be obtained only after eight years.

Yew seedlings can be purchased at a specialized center

cuttings

A faster method used to propagate varietal yews. In autumn, three- and five-year-old apical or lateral (in bushy varieties) shoots are taken for cuttings, 20 cm long. They are planted in a box with a mixture of peat and sand, covered and placed indoors (greenhouse). The ends of the cuttings can be treated with a growth stimulator. Roots appear after 3 months. Planted in May. The growing period of the plant lasts 5-7 years.

Interesting fact: plants grown from cuttings taken from vertically directed branches develop in a vertical direction. Trees obtained from cuttings cut from horizontal branches grow spreading and low.

Composition of yew and boxwood

Usage

Yew is one of the most common conifers used in the US and Europe for landscaping: it is planted in containers, on rooftops, on terraces. AT landscape design grown in groups, used for rock gardens.

A very popular plant for hedges and high borders. Green spaces in partnership with boxwood make it possible to create real masterpieces of landscape gardening art. Masters of topiary (curly haircut) create various forms from yews: animals, architectural elements, geometric patterns, etc. An indispensable plant for creating parks in a classic style, yew alleys of columnar varieties look very nice. It looks spectacular in company with rhododendrons and other conifers that have an excellent look of needles. Yews have very beautiful reddish wood, which can also be used for decorative purposes.