Krohn Conservatory Bonsai #36 - Japanese Yew
Scientific Name:
- Taxus cuspidata
Species
- Japanese Yew
Type of Tree
Bonsai Style:
Bonsai Tree Size:
This Japanese Yew was donated by longtime Bonsai Society member Dr. Aaron Perlman in 2010.
It is in the informal upright style. The pot is rectangular, unglazed, brown in color and is 5 inches deep.
Taxus cuspidata, the Japanese yew or spreading yew, is a member of the genus Taxus, native to Japan, Korea, northeast China and the extreme southeast of Russia. They are relatively slow growing and can be very long-lived. They are popular in public and home gardens.
It is a coniferous tree or large shrub growing up to 60 feet tall, with a trunk up to 16 feet in diameter. The leaves are lanceolate, flat, dark green, arranged spirally on the stem, but with the leaf bases twisted to align the leaves in two flattish rows either side of the stem except on erect leading shoots where the spiral arrangement is more obvious.
The common yew is an ornamental tree. The taxine alkaloids contained in yew berries, needles or bark are poisonous.
Q. What do “circa” and “in training” mean?
A. The circa date is roughly the year when the tree sprouted from its seed. The in training date is the year that it started being “trained” as a bonsai, which is to direct the growth of the tree usually by bending, pruning, and wiring its branches into a desired direction or shape.
It is insect resistant.