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TAXUS Taxus, Linnceus, Gen. PI. 3 12 (1737); Bentham et Hooker, Gen. PI. iii. 431 (1880); Masters, Jour. Linn. Soc. (J3ot.) xxx. 7 (1893); Pilger, in Engler, Pflanzenreich, iv. 5, Taxacece, n o EVERGREEN trees or shrubs belonging to the division Taxacese of the order Coniferse. Bark reddish or reddish brown, thin and scaly. Branches spreading, giving off branchlets, of one kind only, irregularly alternate, surrounded at their bases by brownish scales. Buds globular or ovoid, of imbricated scales. Leaves inserted on the branchlets in a spiral order, on upright shoots spreading radially, on horizontal shoots disposed by twisting on their petioles in one plane in a pectinate arrangement, the upper and lower leaves being of the same length, with their dorsal surfaces turned upwards and their ventral surfaces downwards. In fastigiate varieties all, or most, of the branchlets assume an erect position, and the leaves in consequence are arranged radially. The leaves are linear, flat, with recurved margins, dark green above, paler green below ; the lower surface only bearing stomata, which never form conspicuous white bands ; narrowed at the base into a short petiole, arising from a linear cushion on the twig ; mucronate or acute at the apex and without a resin- canal. Flowers dioecious, or in rare individuals monoecious, on the under surface of the branchlets of the preceding year, in the axils of the leaves, the female flowers being less numerous than the male flowers. Male flowers composed of a stalk, girt at its base by imbricated scales, and bearing above a globose head of 6-14 stamens with short filaments. The stamen is expanded above into a peltate connective, which bears on its lower surface 5 to 9 pollen sacs, united with each other and with the filament. The female flowering shoot, arising out of the axil of the leaf, is composed of a number of imbricated scales, in the axil of the uppermost one of which is borne an ovule, placed so close to the apex of the shoot as to appear terminal ; in the scale next below a bud occurs, which occasionally develops into a second ovule. The ovule, which has a small membranous disc at its base, projects out of the scales by its micropyle. Seed sessile in a fleshy, juicy cup, forming an aril (the enlarged disc), open at the top and free from the seed in its upper part. The seed variable in form, 2, 3, or 4-angled, is generally ellipsoid and has a ligneous testa, containing oily white albumen, in the upper part of which is an axile straight cylindrical minute embryo with two cotyledons. Yews differ from all other Coniferse in the character of the fruit. They 98 Taxus 99 resemble in foliage certain other genera of Taxacese, but are readily distinguishable as follows : Taxus.—Branchlets standing irregularly alternate on the branches. Leaves stalked, greenish underneath with no definite bands of stomata. Buds composed of imbricated scales. Pruminopitys.—Branchlets and leaves as in Taxus, but with valvate bud-scales. Cephalotaxus.—Branchlets opposite. Leaves like the yew in consistence, but with white bands beneath showing definite lines of stomata. Torreya.—Branchlets sub-opposite. Leaves rigid and spine-pointed with white bands beneath, showing definite lines of stomata. Saxegotfuza.—Branchlets in whorls, ascending at an angle. Leaves with bases decurrent on the shoots, and with white bands beneath which are narrow and close to the median line. The genus is widely distributed over large parts of North America, Europe, Algeria, and Asia, and occurs sporadically in the mountains of Sumatra, Celebes, and the Philippines. Seven distinct species have been described, each confined to a definite territory. These species are, however, rather geographical forms, only differing from one another in trivial characters of foliage and habit. The view taken by Sir Joseph Hooker 1 and by Pilger, the latest monographer of the genus, that they only constitute one species is probably correct. Many of the supposed specific distinctions, such as the density of the foliage on the branchlets, the size and form of the leaf, etc., are due in most instances to the influence of soil, shade, and climate. Moreover, in the varieties of the common yew, which are known to have arisen as sports in the wild state or in cultivation, greater differences occur in the characters of habit, foliage, and fruit, than are observable in the so-called species. In the account which follows, the geographical forms will be treated as varieties. 1 Himalayan Journals, ii. 25 (1854), and Studenfs Flora of Brit. Islands, 369 (1878).
ioo The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland Taxus 101 TAXUS BACCATA, YEW Taxus toccata, Linnseus, Sp. PL 1040 (1753); Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. iv. 2066 (1838); Lowe, Yew Trees of Great Britain and Ireland ( 1897); Kent, in Veitch's Man. Conifera, 1 26 (1900); Kirchner, Loew, and Schroter, Lelengesch. Bhttenpfl. Mitteleuropas, i . 61 (1904). The chief characters of the species have been given in the generic description. The different geographical forms are distinguished as follows : 1. Var. typica, Common Yew. A tree or shrub. Leaves falcate, acute, or acuminate, the apex diminishing gradually into a cartilaginous mucro; median nerve only slightly prominent above. Buds ovoid or globose, of closely imbricated brownish, rounded scales, usually not keeled on the back. In certain Himalayan specimens the leaves are long and narrow, with a long acuminate apex, and the buds have keeled scales. Intermediate forms occur; and all Indian botanists and foresters seem to be agreed that the Himalayan yew cannot be separated from the European form even as a variety. 1 2. Var. ciispidata (Taxus cuspidata, S . et Z. 2), Japanese Yew. A tree or shrub. Leaves straight, scarcely falcate, median nerve prominent above, apex giving off abruptly a short mucro. Buds oblong, composed of somewhat loosely imbricated scales, which are ovate, very acute and keeled. In cultivated specimens the under surface of the leaves is yellow in colour, the buds being bright chestnut brown. 3. Var. sinensis? Chinese Yew. A tree. Leaves short, rigid, median nerve not prominent above, apex rounded and giving off abruptly a short mucro. Buds ovoid, brownish, composed of densely imbricated scales, which are ovate, obtuse, and not keeled. 4. Var. brevifolia (Taxus brevifolia, Nutt. 4), Pacific Coast Yew. A tree. Leaves falcate, short, median nerve slightly prominent above, apex abruptly mucronate. Buds large, with loosely imbricated yellowish green scales, which are lanceolate, mucronate, and keeled. 5. Var. canadensis (Taxus canadensis, Marshall 6), Canadian Yew. A low, prostrate shrub. Leaves narrow, falcate ; median nerve slightly prominent above, apex abruptly mucronate. Buds globose, small, with somewhat loosely imbricated, greenish, ovate, obtuse, keeled scales. 6. Var. Floridana (Taxus floridana, Chapman 6), Florida Yew. A shrub or 1 It has been described as a distinct species, Taxus Wallichiana, Zuccarini, in Abhand. fC. Bayr. Akad. IVissensch. iii. 803, t. 5 (1843). Pilger, who ranks the different geographical forms as sub-species, keeps it separate from the European yew as sub-species Wallichiana. * Flora Jap. Fata. Nat. ii. 108 (1846); Shirasawa, Icon. Ess. Forest. Japan, i. 33, t. 15 (1899). 3 Taxus toccata, L., Masters, Index Flora Sinensis, ii. 546 (1902). 4 Nuttall, Sylv. iii. 86, t. 108 (1849); Sargent, Silva N. America, x. 65, t. 514 (1896). 6 Marshall, Art. Amer. 1 51 (1785); Sargent, Silva N. America, x. 63 (1896). The plant cultivated at Kew as Taxus canadensis, var. aurea, a strong-growing, erect shrub, is apparently a variety of the common yew. 0 Chapman, Flora South United States, 436 (1860); Sargent, Silva N. America, x. 67, t. 515 (1896). P very small tree. Leaves very narrow, median nerve scarcely prominent, apex acute and gradually passing into the mucro. Buds small, with loosely imbricated, ovate, obtuse scales. 7. Var. globosa (Tax2ts globosa, Schl. 1), Mexican Yew. A small tree. Leaves variable, narrow, straight, acuminate, mucronate. Buds of numerous ovate, rounded, obtuse, keeled scales. DISTRIBUTION I. COMMON YEW. All authorities are agreed that the yew was formerly much more widely spread in Europe than is the case to-day. Conwentz 2 relies on three points to prove the ancient wider distribution: (i) fossil remains; (2) prehistoric and historic antiquities; (3) place - names. He considers that nearly all the fossil remains of the Tertiary age, which have been described as species of Taxus, are not really yew. In more recent geographical strata, however, numerous fossil remains of yew have been found. Clement Reid 3 gives the following list of deposits in which yew occurs in England : Neolithic.—Common in peat below the sea-level in the Thames valley and Fenland ; Portobello, near Edinburgh. Interglacial.—Hoxne, Suffolk. Preglacial (Cromer Forest-bed). Mundesley, Bacton, Happisburgh (in Norfolk), Pakefield (in Suffolk). Conwentz has found fossil remains in numerous localities in England and Ireland; but his promised paper on the subject has not yet been published. Guided by place-names in Germany, he dug up fossil yew in many localities in that country. He* found under pure peat, 3 feet thick, in the Steller Moss not far from Hanover, some hundreds of stems of yews. He says that it is never found in the ramparts of prehistoric forts, but that it was often planted on fortifications by the knights of the Middle Ages. He has prepared a list of some hundreds of English, Scottish, and especially Irish names of places taken from the yew. The Gaelic name for the yew is izibkar; and in Irish and Scottish place-names this generally appears Anglicised as lire, being sometimes corrupted into o or zi simply. Youghal means yew-wood. Dromanure and Knockanure signify yew-hill. Glenure is the yew-glen. Gortinure and Mayo mean yew-field. Conwentz examined prehistoric wooden boxes, buckets, and other vessels in the British Museum and in the Dublin Science and Art Museum, and identified the wood of some thirty articles as that of yew. Yew is occasionally found in peat-mosses in Ireland, but is exceedingly rare as compared with pine and oak. Mr. R. D. Cole, who has kindly sent me a 1 Schlechtendal, Linnaa, xii. 496 (1838); Sargent, Silva N. America, x. 63 (1896). * British Association Report, 1 901, p. 839. 3 Origin British Flora, 1 51 ( 1899). 4 Bot. Centralllatt, 1 896, Ixvi. 105 ; and 1900, Beihefte, ix. 223.
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»f rees Great Britain Ireland BY H
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Trees of Great Britain Ireland BY H
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PREFACE THE United Kingdom offers a
Page 9 and 10: CONTENTS PAGE DEDICATION ........ v
Page 11 and 12: The Trees of Great Britain and Irel
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Page 15 and 16: 8 The Trees of Great Britain and Ir
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Page 27 and 28: 32, The Trees of Great Britain and
Page 29 and 30: SOPHORA Sophora, Linnaeus, Gen. PI.
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Page 67 and 68: in The Trees of Great Britain and I
Page 69 and 70: n6 The Trees of Great Britain and I
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2OO The Trees of Great Britain and
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a 7" KSrJi «£^«~ **». . "" ^ '"
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INARCHED BP;ECH AT ASIIRIDGE TLATE
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13KECII WOOD AT SLINHON A ru 6.
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BEECH AT NEWBATTLE Pi .ATE 8.
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I BEECH AT GORDON CASTLE TLAI-K 10.
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KING BEECH AT KNOLE I'LAIE 12.
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AILANTHUS AT BELTON PLATE 14.
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SOI'HORA AT CAMBRIDGE PLATE 16.
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ARAUCARIA FOREST IN CM ILK I'l.MT.
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ARAUCARIAS AT BEAUFORT
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MAIDENHAIR T liEK AT FKOGMOKF. PLAT
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TULIP TREE IN NORTH CAROLINA 1'LATE
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TULIP TREE AT KILLERTON PLATE 26.
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PLATE SERVIAN SPRUCE IN BOSNIA 28.
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MENZIES' SPRUCE AT BEAUFORT PLATE 3
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YEW AVENUE AT MIDIIURST PLATE 32.
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i '*m i t /n b &; y'JM i /Jk, - •
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•• *-' YEW AT WHITTIKGHAME PLAT
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CRYPTOMERIA FOREST IN NORTH JAPAN 1
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CRYPTOMEKIAS AT IMAICHI I'l.ATE 40.
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CRYPTOMERIA AT HEMSTED PLATK 42.
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PYRUS. PLATE 44.
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SORB TREE AT ARLEV PLATE 46.
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SERVICE TREE AT RICKMANSWORTH >.mmm
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'^iji^m^^Jt^.^M. SERVICE TREE AT SY
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DECIDUOUS CYPRESS IN VIRGINIA PLATE
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DECIDUOUS CYPRESS AT SYON Tr.ATE 54
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GIANT THUYA IN VANCOUVER'S ISLAND P
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Plate 58 represents the trunk of wh
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j« WESTERN HEMLOCK GROWING ON FALL
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