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Plum Yew
Cephalotaxus harringtonia
イヌガヤ
An evergreen shrub to small tree native to mountain forests in Japan. Leaves are broader than those of Taxus and sharply pointed. It produces elliptical pseudo-fruits (arils) resembling those of yew, but inedible—hence the name 'Inugaya' (worthless torreya).
Identification Points
- ✓Linear leaves with sharply pointed tips; two white stomatal bands on the underside
- ✓Leaves arranged in two ranks, broader than Taxus
- ✓Fruits enclosed in ovoid arils, ripening from green to purplish-brown
Habitat
Mountain forest understory and edges (shade)
Season
Year-round (evergreen), October–November (fruits)
3D Specimen Model
Kyushu University, Shikano Lab (CC0)
View on Sketchfab→Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Leaf shape
Linear
Habitat
Forest
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Parallel
Leaf margin
Entire
Petal fusion
No petals
Stipules
Absent
Ovary position
Superior
Plant sex
Dioecious
Phylogenetic Positionイヌガヤ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Gymnosperms > Conifers > Pinales > Cephalotaxaceae
Divergence Era
Mesozoic Cretaceous (approx. 100 million years ago onward)
Evolution Notes
Cephalotaxaceae belongs to Taxales among gymnosperms and contains homoharringtonine, an anti-cancer compound related to taxol. It represents a gymnosperm lineage that does not produce true cones.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification