Common names: Yew, common yew, English yew 

Irish name: iúr 

Latin name: Taxus baccata 

Family: Taxaceae 

Origin: Native 

Tree type: Evergreen Conifer tree

How it looks

Shape, bark, twigs 

The yew tree can grow up to 30m in height with dense spreading branches. Its bark is relatively thin, exhibiting a scaly texture and a reddish-brown hue with hints of purple. It peels off in small flakes.  

Leaves 

Yew trees feature evergreen needle-like leaves that are narrow, leathery, and straight, with a pointed tip. These leaves are dark green on their upper surface and green-grey with a raised central vein on the lower side. They grow in opposing pairs, arranged in two rows on either side of each twig.  

Flowers 

Yew trees are dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers grow on separate trees. Male flowers emerge in clusters along the underside of twigs during February and March. They measure 3-4 mm in diameter, are rounded, and are a pale yellow colour. These male flowers release pollen into the wind during early spring.

Female flowers are also present in February and March. They are 1-2 mm in diameter, have a bud-like appearance with scales, and start green when young but turn brown and acorn-like as they mature.

Fruits 

Since yew trees are either male or female (dioecious), the fruits are exclusively found on female trees. Once the female flower is pollinated by wind, it undergoes a transformation into an 'aril.' Unlike most conifers, common yew trees do not produce seeds within cones. The aril resembles a berry but is structured as a fleshy, cup-like enclosure that remains open at the bottom. 

Similar species 

Irish yew (Taxus baccata 'fastigiata') or other ornamental garden varieties which have to be propagated by cuttings.

Where to find it

Yew grows naturally in Ireland's woodlands on well-drained chalk or limestone soils. It is shade-tolerant and prefers not to be exposed to wind or frost. Reenadina wood on the Muckross Peninsula, Co. Kerry, is Ireland’s only native yew wood. Yew has been planted for centuries in churchyards, parks, formal gardens and hedges.  It is also native to Western, Central and Southern Europe (including Great Britain and Ireland), Northwest Africa, northern Iran, and Southwest Asia.

Cultural importance

History | Myth | Literature

History 

Yew has a long history, so much so that one of the world's oldest surviving wooden artefacts is a yew spear point that was discovered in Clacton-on-Sea, UK in the early 1900s and is estimated to be approximately 400,000 years old.

Once widespread throughout the island of Ireland, especially in the west and southwest, yew was one of the tree species which suffered most as a result of large-scale woodland clearance during the Bronze-Age (c. 2200-800 BC), in the creation of agricultural land. However, the wood was not wasted. Archaeological records from excavations at Edercloon, Co. Longford, suggest that yew wood was deemed useful during the Bronze- and Iron-Age (c. 800 BC-400 AD) for the part construction of bog trackways and the crafting of finer implements, weapons and tools such as spear shafts, bows and walking staffs. Likewise, it was used to make decorative and ritual objects such as the Ralaghan Idol, a mysterious, anthropomorphic, wooden figure discovered in Shercock, Co. Cavan in the 1900s. 

Texts written in the early Medieval period (400-1100 AD) suggest that yew wood continued to be used in similar ways in early Ireland, highlighting that it was frequently used to manufacture domestic vessels. It is for this reason that yew was included as one of the ‘nobles of the wood’ - on account of the ‘noble artefacts’ it produced. As such, there were severe fines for unlawfully damaging a yew (see Irish Oak entry for further detail). Yew wood is difficult to work and the carving of objects from yew required special tools and exceptional skill. As a result, yew-working constituted a special trade in itself during the early Medieval period. 

Yew is also used in the later Medieval period to represent the letter 'I' in the ogham alphabet: 

Paul McMahon notes that the yew was seen as a symbol of immortality and eternity amongst early Christians due to its long-living nature. This is perhaps part of the reason why yew trees are so commonly planted in churchyards. However, they were also deemed sacred in pre-Christian Ireland, and it is likely that the incorporation of yew trees into churchyards was to create a link between the old religion and the Christian faith. In addition, Eoin Neeson advises that yew trees were used to delineate the boundary of sanctuary within an ecclesiastical site. At the same time, they were also thought to be effective conductors that would divert lightening away from any surrounding buildings. They were thus associated with sanctuary and protection during the early Christian period both metaphorically and physically. 

Niall Mac Coitir theorises that the yew may be much more significant to Irish culture and identity than previously realised. He suggests that the old Irish word for ‘Ireland’, Ériu, evolved out of the Proto-Irish word, iwo-eru or iw’eru, which translates as ‘yew land’. Likewise, he suggests that the name of Iron Age tribe, the Iverni, which he maintains derives from the same linguistic root as iwo-eru, essentially translates as the ‘people of yew land’. This theory is supported by a number of Medieval texts, including some of the poems mentioned below. As a result, MacCoitir proposes that the yew could be considered the true ‘national tree of Ireland’. 

Although there are very few yew woodlands in Ireland today, the memory of the yew survives in place names such as Newry (the yew at the hard of the strand) and Terenure (the land or territory of the yew) and Youghal (a yew wood). 

Myth, Legend and Folklore 

The themes of sanctuary and protection mentioned above no doubt also stem from the perception of the yew as an enchanted tree and the idea that it possessed magical properties of protection, but also the ability to curse. One Medieval tale relates how a group of men who cut down a yew in Finglas, County Dublin, were fatally struck by a ‘singular and sudden pestilence’. Other myths speak of the divinatory powers of the yew. In one Irish story where Étain, wife of the High King, Eochaid goes missing, the druid Dallán uses yew rods inscribed with ogham to divine her location. The Irish myths also associate the yew with kingship. In one such story, a swineherd’s vision of a yew tree above the Rock of Cashel was interpreted by the druid, Aodh, as a sign that it should be the inauguration site of the kings of Munster. He also prophesised that the first person to light a fire under the yew tree would become king of Munster. As forseen, Conall Cerc lit a fire beneath the yew and became king.

Literature 

The yew was frequently the subject of Medieval poetry. The poem, ‘Éo Rossa’, describes one of the five sacred trees of Ireland, the yew of Rossa, in all its virtues. Similarly, in several late medieval poems from the Duanaire Finn collection, Ireland is described as a land of yew trees. The poems refer variously to ‘yew-clad Ireland’ or ‘beautiful Ireland of the yew trees’. 

Value to wildlife

Yew berries contain toxic seeds that are harmful to most mammals. However, the fleshy red coverings, known as arils, are non-toxic and serve as a food source for creatures like squirrels and mice. Several bird species, including fieldfares and blackbirds, can consume whole yew berries, allowing the poisonous seeds to pass through their digestive systems undigested. This interaction aids in the dispersal of the yew tree's seeds. 

Yew leaves are a crucial food supply for caterpillars of the satin beauty moth. The evergreen and dense foliage of yew trees offers birds valuable winter roosting sites and nesting habitats during the spring and summer, contributing to their overall biodiversity and ecological importance.

Threats

Yew trees are often considered highly resilient, but they can become vulnerable to root rot if the soil remains excessively wet for extended periods. Notably, yew trees face no significant threats from pests or diseases. 

To learn more about threats to Irish trees, visit ‘Threats to Trees.’

Uses

Yew timber is renowned for its strength and durability. In the present day, yew wood is used in constructing gates, furniture, parquet floors, and panelling. Additionally, it is a preferred material for carving and wood turning. 

The yew tree's dense foliage makes it an excellent choice for hedging and topiary purposes. 

In the realm of medicine, these trees contain potent and highly toxic taxane alkaloids, which have been harnessed for the development of anti-cancer medications.

References

Forestry Focus. 2023. ‘Trees in Irish Placenames’, Forestry Focus Website. Online resource: Trees in Irish Place Names - Forestry Focus 

Kelly, F. 1999. Trees in Early Ireland, Augustine Henry Memorial Lecture 11th March 1999, Irish forestry: Journal of the Society of Irish Foresters, 56, 39-57.  

Literature and Ireland’s Trees. 2023. Literature and Ireland’s Trees. Online: LIT: Literature and Ireland's Trees (litliteratureandirelandstrees.com) 

MacCoitir, N. 2015. Ireland’s Trees: Myths, Legends and Folklore. Cork: The Collins Press. 

MacCoitir, N. 2016. Ireland – Land of the Yew? Archaeology Ireland, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 38-40. 

McMahon, P. 2023. Island of Woods: How Ireland Lost Its Forests and How to Get Them Back, Dublin: New Island Books. 

Moore, Catriona. 2021. Between the Meadows: The archaeology of Edercloon on the N4 Dromod–Roosky Bypass: 11 (TII Heritage), Dublin: Transport Infrastructure Ireland. 

Neeson, E. 1991. A History of Irish Forestry, Dublin: The Lilliput Press Ltd. 

Stroh, P. A., Humphrey, T. A., Burkmar, R. J., Pescott, O. L., Roy, D. B., & Walker, K. J. 2023. BSBI Online Plant Atlas 2020. https://plantatlas2020.org/atlas

Tree Council of Ireland. 2024. Native Irish Trees. Tree Council of Ireland. https://www.treecouncil.ie/native-irish-trees 

Woodland Trust. 2024. A-Z of British trees. Woodland Trust. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/