Common Name: Japanese yew
Type: Needled evergreen
Family: Taxaceae
Zone: 4 to 7
Height: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Spread: 3.00 to 6.00 feet
Bloom Time: Non-flowering
Bloom Description: Non-flowering
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Leaf: Colorful, Evergreen
Other: Winter Interest
Tolerate: Rabbit, Drought, Heavy Shade
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerates shade and is considered to be one of the best of the needled evergreens for shady conditions. Prefers moist, sandy loams, but plants have no tolerance for wet conditions which must be avoided. Good soil drainage is essential. Tolerates urban conditions. Best sited in locations protected from cold winter winds. Tolerates pruning well. Pruning is best done in early spring, but may be done at any time.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Taxus cuspidata, commonly known as Japanese yew, is a broad-columnar needled evergreen tree or multistemmed shrub that is native to Korea, China, Russia and Japan. In its native habitat, it will grow to as much as 30-50’ tall. In cultivation it will grow much smaller, particularly if regularly pruned. It features linear, spiny-tipped, dark green needles (to 1” long). Leaves are often tinged yellow beneath. Foliage may turn reddish-brown or yellow in winter. Scaly, reddish brown bark. Plants are dioecious (separate male and female plants). Female plants produce berry-like cones made up of a single seed surrounded by a red, fleshy structure called an aril. The aril is formed by two fused, modified scale leaves.
Genus name is an old Latin name for yews.
Specific epithet is in reference to the cuspidate (having a sharp pointed tip) foliage.
'Nana Aurescens' is a slow-growing, dwarf-spreading cultivar that typically grows to only 2' tall but spreads to 3-4' wide over the first 10 years. Linear, spiny-tipped needles are golden yellow in the first year, but turn dark green by the second year. Foliage is resistant to burning in full sun locations. This is a male cultivar (yews are dioecious) that does not produce fruit. Cultivar name comes from the Latin words nanus meaning dwarf and aureus meaning gold in reference to the golden foliage of this dwarf variety.
Problems
Susceptible to winter burn, particularly in exposed sites. Twig blight and needle blight are occasional problems. Root rot may occur in poorly-drained soils. Weevils, mealybugs and scale are problems in some areas.
Uses
The small spreading plant makes an excellent ground cover for full sun areas. Specimen or group for foliage accent in the landscape. Rock gardens.