''Taxus ''×'' media'', sometimes known simply as ''Taxus media'', is a

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

(more specifically, a

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew (''Taxus br ...

) created by the hybridization of English yew '' Taxus baccata'' and Japanese yew '' Taxus cuspidata''. This hybridization is thought to have been performed by the Massachusetts-based horticulturalist T.D. Hatfield in the early 1900s.University of Connecticut Horticulture: Taxus Media
/ref> ''

Taxonomy and common naming

Taxus × media is available in a large number of shrubby, often wide-spreading, cultivars under a variety of names.

Description

Like most

species, ''T. ''×'' media'' prefers well-drained and well-watered soils, but has some degree of drought tolerance and in fact may die in conditions of excessive precipitation if the soil beneath the plant is not sufficiently well-drained. ''Taxus ''×'' media'' is among the smallest

extant Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...

species in the genus ''Taxus'' and (depending upon cultivar) may not even grow to the size of what one would consider a typical tree. Immature shrubs are very small and achieve (over the time span of ten to twenty years) heights of at most and diameters of at most , depending on the cultivar. Furthermore, ''T. ''×'' media'' is known to grow rather slowly and is not injured by frequent pruning, making this hybrid very desirable as a

hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate a road from adjoini ...

in low-maintenance landscaping and also a good candidate for

bonsai Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of ''penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produce ...

Toxicity

''Taxus ''×'' media'' also shares with its fellow yew trees a high level of

taxine Taxine alkaloids, which are often named under the collective title of taxines, are the toxic chemicals that can be isolated from the yew tree. The amount of taxine alkaloids depends on the species of yew, with ''Taxus baccata'' and '' Taxus cusp ...

in its branches, needles, and seeds.

Taxine Taxine alkaloids, which are often named under the collective title of taxines, are the toxic chemicals that can be isolated from the yew tree. The amount of taxine alkaloids depends on the species of yew, with ''Taxus baccata'' and '' Taxus cusp ...

is toxic to the

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

ian heart.

Varieties (cultivars)

* ''Taxus ''×'' media'' var. ''hicksii'' (also known by the common name ''Hicks's yew'' or alternately, ''Hicks yew'') is a common cultivar of this hybrid, and is the tallest and thinnest variety of ''T. ''×'' media'', limiting itself to a diameter, despite the fact it can achieve a height of close to .University of Illinois - Selecting Shrubs for Your Home
/ref> * Another commonly-planted cultivar of ''T. ''×'' media'' is the broader-spreading ''densiformis'' version, which can reach a diameter exceeding 10 feet; nonetheless, this cultivar does not grow much past in height. * Another cultivar of ''T. × media'' is the ''Kelseyi'' version (known as the ''Kelsey yew''), with a height of at maturity, and a spread of . It is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a low canopy about 1 foot from the ground.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taxus media media Medicinal plants Plant nothospecies Trees of humid continental climate Hybrid plants Ornamental trees Least concern plants Plants used in bonsai