Unit 14 (014), Taxaceae or Yew Family

1. Poisonous seeds and foliage

The fleshy aril around most of the Yew (Taxus) seeds is not poisonous, but the seeds

and the foliage are. A mouthful of yew foliage is enough to kill a full grown horse.

The seeds need to have the seed coat broken for them to be poisonous.

2. Dioecious plants

Yews are dioecious, with separate male and female plants. Some cultivars have both

male and female plants, others are only male or female.