Taxus baccata

Article number:

8000940

Taxus baccata also known as European yew, is a native conifer in the yew family.

The berries of the yew develop from the female flowers and have a glowing red seed coat (aril).

All parts of the plant except the red seed coat are highly poisonous (both to humans and animals).

In Germania, the yew tree had a reputation as a protection against magic and was supposed to protect against evil spirits and stealing dwarves when branches of it were hung up in the house. It was also considered a symbol of eternity. That is why it is still the custom today to plant a yew tree in cemeteries as a sign of eternal life.

The wood of the yew was already used in the Neolithic and Bronze Age, for example, to make longbows. The wood was also used for utensils such as weaving shuttles, boxes, buckets and combs.

The plant’s poison was used as an arrowhead poison. Diseases such as epilepsy, diphtheria and rheumatism as well as scabies and skin rashes were treated with a yew preparation.
But yew can also be used as a food plant, because only the red and sweetish seed coat, that is, the non-poisonous part of the plant, can be made into a jam.

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Taxus baccata

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