Taxus wallichiana Zucc.

Himalayan yew (en)

Species

Gymnosperms > Cupressales > Taxaceae > Taxus

Characteristics

Trees or shrubs to 30 m tall; trunk to 1.3 m d.b.h.; bark variably colored, grayish brownish, reddish, or purplish, peeling off in strips or cracking and falling off as thin scales; winter bud scales early deciduous or some persistent at base of branchlets, triangular-ovate, with or without longitudinal ridges abaxially. Leafy branchlets ± flat in living state, 3-9 × 1.5-6 cm in outline. Leaves borne at (50-)60-90° to branchlet axis, subsessile or with petiole to 1 mm; blade dark green and glossy adaxially, paler abaxially, linear to lanceolate, gradually tapered distally, usually falcate, (0.9-)1.5-3.5(-4.7) cm × (1.5-)2-4(-5) mm, midvein slightly elevated adaxially, 0.1-0.2 mm wide, densely and evenly papillate abaxially, or with papillae scattered on midvein or in 1-several lateral rows adjacent to stomatal band, or midvein not papillate, stomatal bands pale yellowish, 0.6-0.9 mm wide, densely and evenly papillate, marginal bands 0.1-0.4 mm wide, base cuneate or attenuate, asymmetric, margin flat to revolute, apex gradually acuminate or abruptly tapered and indistinctly mucronate, mucro 0.1-0.5 mm. Pollen cones scattered along 2nd year branchlet axis, ± sessile or shortly pedunculate (peduncle ca. 0.5 mm), pale yellowish, ovoid, 5-6 × ca. 3 mm; bracts usually 6, broadly ovate, pale green; microsporophylls 8-14, each with (4 or)5 or 6(-8) pollen sacs. Seed-bearing structures borne toward distal end of branchlet axis. Aril red or orange when ripe, often ± translucent. Seed ovoid or obovoid, occasionally columnar-oblong, sometimes slightly flattened, 5-8 × 3.5-5 mm, usually with obtuse ridges (sometimes trigonous and 3-ridged); apex with small mucro; hilum elliptic to suborbicular or rounded-trigonous. Pollination Sep-Apr, seed maturity Aug-Dec.
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A tree. It grows 6-18 m tall. The branches are spreading. The bark is reddish-brown and scaly. The leaves are narrow and almost in spirals. They are 2-4 cm long. The female flowers are green and occur singly in the axils of leaves. The seed are olive green and surrounded by a red fleshy aril.
Life form
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination anemogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 6.0 - 18.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) 0.9
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

A small to large understorey or lower canopy tree in montane, temperate, warm temperate, and tropical submontane to high montane coniferous, broad-leaved and mixed forest; at elevations from 900-3,700 metres.
More
A small to large understorey or lower canopy tree in montane, temperate, warm temperate, and tropical submontane to high montane coniferous, broad-leaved and mixed forest; at elevations from 900-3,700 metres.
It is a temperate plant. In Northeastern India it grows between 2,400-3,200 m above sea level. Garhwal Himalayas
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 7-12

Usage

The leaves are boiled in water for tea. CAUTION: The seeds are poisonous and tea from the leaves is poisonous. The flowers are eaten raw. The fruit are reportedly eaten.
Uses afforestation dye environmental use material medicinal ornamental poison species tea wood
Edible barks flowers fruits leaves seeds
Therapeutic use Menstruation-inducing agents (fruit), Parasympatholytics (fruit), Asthma (leaf), Bronchitis (leaf), Dyspepsia (leaf), Epilepsy (leaf), Hiccup (leaf), Hysteria (leaf), Menstruation-inducing agents (leaf), Parasympatholytics (leaf), Epilepsy (shoot), Angina pectoris, variant (unspecified), Antineoplastic agents (unspecified), Leukemia (unspecified), Lung neoplasms (unspecified), Melanoma (unspecified), Analgesics (whole plant), Central nervous system depressants (whole plant)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) 365
Germination temperacture (C°) 21
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Taxus wallichiana unspecified picture

Distribution

Taxus wallichiana world distribution map, present in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Viet Nam

Conservation status

Taxus wallichiana threat status: Endangered

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:263869-1
WFO ID wfo-0000409081
COL ID 55294
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Taxus wallichiana Taxus obscura Taxus phytonii Cephalotaxus celebica Taxus orientalis Taxus yunnanensis Taxus celebica Cephalotaxus sumatrana Taxus nucifera Taxus suffnesii Taxus wallichiana var. yunnanensis Taxus chinensis var. yunnanensis Taxus contorta var. mucronata Taxus baccata subsp. wallichiana Taxus wallichiana subsp. yunnanensis Taxus sumatrana subsp. obscura Taxus sumatrana subsp. celebica Taxus wallichiana var. wallichiana Taxus baccata var. wallichiana Podocarpus celebicus Taxus sumatrana subsp. rehderiana

Lower taxons

Taxus wallichiana var. mairei Taxus wallichiana var. chinensis