Image: Wikimedia Commons (See link for license)
Yew family
Taxaceae
イチイ科
A family of evergreen conifers distributed mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. In Japan, Taxus cuspidata and T. cuspidata var. nana occur naturally. Seeds are enclosed in a fleshy red aril, but the seed itself is toxic. An unusual conifer that does not produce cones.
Key Characteristics
- ●No cones; seeds enclosed in a fleshy red aril
- ●Leaves linear, arranged in two ranks, with pale stomatal bands beneath
- ●Dioecious
- ●Seeds, leaves, and bark contain the toxic alkaloid taxine (aril flesh is non-toxic)
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Parallel
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf shape
Needle
Growth form
Tree / Shrub
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Stipules
Absent
Petal fusion
No petals
Ovary position
Superior
Plant sex
Dioecious
Phylogenetic Position
Gymnosperms > Conifers > Pinales > Taxaceae
Divergence Era
Mesozoic Jurassic (approx. 180 million years ago onward)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Loss of cones and adaptation to bird and mammal dispersal via fleshy arils
- ・Medically notable as the source of the anticancer drug Taxol (paclitaxel)
Plants in Yew family on this site
AI-generated, needs verification