Description and Uses
Taxus baccata (Yew tree) is a
temperate tree from
North West Europe.
It is mainly grown for its
nut crops,
which have a
long shelflife. The crop is harvested by
hand picking. Other uses include; fruit, ornamental, poison herbicide and timber
. It starts flowering in
0 -
0 years. The first yield will be
unknown but in its top season there will be a yield of
7 meters trunk.
The fruit is edible
and Medical uses include; anti-depressant and appeasement
.
There is
taxus oil
extracted by
steam distillation
from the
tree`s
seed/nut yielding
0.02 -
0% oil. The
tree`s wood is called
yew wood and has a density of
670 -
680 kg/m³. Regarding firewood production the
tree`s growing speed is
very slow, its energetic value is
4200 ckal/kg and the woods drying speed is
medium. After
100 years the
tree can be totally removed as it reached its commercial and ecological goal.
Taxus baccata has a lifespan of
2000 years.
Environmental limitations
The
tree is
19 meters tall. It is
very slow growing and
partial shade.
Taxus baccata has a
deep root-system
and it has symbiotic associations with the Glomus intraradices fungus.
(endo and ecto mycorrhiza).
It is not able to fix nitrogen. The
tree`s flower-morphology is
dioecious and is pollinated by
wind.
Taxus baccata is
evergreen and
allelopathic and has
no thorns.
Taxus baccata thrives in an altitude of
100 to
2400 meters above sea-level
(temperate). The minimum temperature is
-15°C; optimally between
8 -
21°C. The optimal rainfall is
1950 mm/year. Without irrigation the annual rainfall should be between
500 -
2900 mm (L/m²). The optimal soil-pH is between
4.0 -
7.0 in a soil texture of
loam. To salt it is
a bit tolerant to wind
a bit tolerant and to fire
intolerant.
Pests and Diseases
Taxus baccata is susceptible to the following pests; Otiorhynchus sulcatus and Pseudaonidia trilobitiformis
and to the following diseases; .
Seed Propagation
Seeds are
stratificant and can be stored for
4 months. There are approximative
4000 seeds/kg. The seeds can be propagated as followed:
(1) Store harvested seeds moisty at a chilling temperature of 3-7 degrees C for 2-4 months, (3) press the seeds twice its size in the soil soil.
