''Taxus celebica'' is a large,

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

shrub or tree of the

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 ...

family (

Taxaceae Taxaceae (), commonly called the yew family, is a coniferous family which includes six extant and two extinct genera, and about 30 species of plants, or in older interpretations three genera and 7 to 12 species. Description They are many-bran ...

), widespread in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

at elevations up to 900 meters (3,000 feet). It is commonly called Chinese yew though the term also refers to the ''

Taxus chinensis ''Taxus chinensis'' is a species of yew. It is commonly called the Chinese yew, though this term also refers to '' Taxus celebica'' or ''Taxus sumatrana''. This plant is used to produce medicines for cancer treatment, including Paclitaxel and T ...

'' or ''

Taxus sumatrana ''Taxus sumatrana'' is an evergreen shrub and one of the eight species of the yew. It is found in a number of countries, including Afghanistan, Tibet, Nepal, Sumatra, Philippines, Vietnam, India, Burma, Taiwan, and China, and is known ...

''. The tree is up to 14 m (46 ft) tall and wide and bushy when cultivated. The leaves are up to 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) long — broader than those of most other yews — and often end in a very small, sharp point. The underside of each leaf has two broad yellow stripes and is densely covered with minute projections. It is, along with other yew species, unsustainably harvested across Asia for their bark and needles, which contain a chemical used in the cancer medication

Taxol Paclitaxel (PTX), sold under the brand name Taxol among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes ovarian cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma, cervical ca ...

References

celebica Trees of China {{Conifer-stub