Yew
Field Notes — No. 10
Yew 17th September 2026

Almost velvety

I know that this probably didn't start off as wild and it's certainly not a rare find but every year I want to capture the matt, almost velvet beauty of yew berries which aren't in fact berries, I learn. So beautiful, so toxic, such a symbol of death - nothing grows under them - that it seems almost shameful to write about them. Leave them to the birds to distribute the seeds.

At a glance
SpeciesYew
Latin nameTaxus baccata
FamilyTaxaceae
SizeUsually 10-20m; can live over 1,000 years
HabitatWoodland, hedgerows, churchyards
Key facts
  • What look like berries are actually arils — a soft, matt-textured red covering around a single hard seed, not a true berry at all.
  • The aril is the only non-toxic part of the tree; the needles, bark, and seed itself contain toxic alkaloids.
  • Yew trees are dioecious, with separate male and female trees, so only female trees bear arils.
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