Taxus × media

Taxus × media
Two immature Taxus media var. hicksii yews planted in central Indiana, United States of America. Although T. media are slow-growing, the specimen on the right may require pruning within 2–3 years in order to avoid blocking the nearby sidewalk.
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Cupressales
Family: Taxaceae
Genus: Taxus
Species:
T. × media
Binomial name
Taxus × media
Rehder

Taxus × media, also referred to as the hybrid yew, intermediate yew, Anglo-Japanese yew, or Anglojap yew, is a hybrid species of yew created as the offspring of English yew Taxus baccata and Japanese yew Taxus cuspidata.[1] This hybridization is thought to have been first performed by the Massachusetts-based horticulturalist T.D. Hatfield in the early 1900s.[2]

Taxus × media is grown in a large number of shrubby, often wide-spreading, cultivars under a variety of names.[3]

Description

Taxus × media is among the smallest extant species in the genusTaxus 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 20 ft (6.1 m) and diameters of at most 12 ft (3.7 m), depending on the cultivar.[4] Furthermore, T. × media is known to grow rather slowly and is not injured by frequent pruning, making this hybrid very desirable as a hedge in low-maintenance landscaping and also a good candidate for bonsai.[5]

Like most yew species, T. × media can thrive in many soil types and is tolerant to temporary fluctuations in moisture, but is highly prone to developing root rot in wet, poorly-drained conditions.[6][7]

Toxicity

Like all yews, Taxus × media contains a high level of taxines in its branches, needles, and seeds. Taxines are toxic to the mammalianheart.[8]

Cultivars

Variety Alternate names Image Sex Habit Characteristics Developed/ Selected by Notes
Beanpole[9][10]"Bean pole" Female Tall, columnar.

May reach up to 10 ft (3.0 m) in height.

Vermeulen Nursery
Brownii[11][12]"Brown's yew" Male Broad, globular.

May grow up to 10 ft (3.0 m) high and 12 ft (3.7 m) in diameter.

T.D. Hatfield Named after R.T. Brown, a friend of Hatfield's.[3]
Densiformis[4][13]"Dense yew"

"Dense Spreading Yew"

Female Short, wide spreading.

This cultivar can reach a diameter exceeding 10 ft (3.0 m); nonetheless, it does not grow much past 5 ft (1.5 m) in height.

Hatfieldii[14][3]"Hatfield yew" Male Tall, pyramidal.

May reach up to 15 ft (4.6 m) high and 10 ft (3.0 m) in diameter.

T.D. Hatfield Named after T.D. Hatfield by Alfred Rehder.
Hicksii[15][16][17]"Hick's yew"

"Hicks yew"

"Costich"*

Both* Tall, columnar.

May reach a height close to 20 ft (6.1 m).

Henry Hicks at Hicks NurseriesOne of the most widely grown T. × media cultivars.

*What is often referred to as 'Hicksii' by nurseries was first categorized as two separate cultivars by horticulturalist L.C. Chadwick: 'Hicksii', a female cultivar, and 'Costich', a similar male cultivar. Despite this, Hicks Nurseries sold both under the name 'Hicksii".[2]

Kelseyi[18][3][19]"Kelsey yew"

"Berrybush yew"

Female Tall, broad.

May reach up to 15 ft (4.6 m) in height, and 10 ft (3.0 m) in diameter.

John Vermeulen Named in honor of Frederick Wallace Kelsey, a nurseryman and brother of Francis Kelsey.[20]
Tauntonii[4][21]"Taunton's yew"

"Taunton yew"

Short, wide spreading.

May reach up to 4 ft (1.2 m) tall and 6 ft (1.8 m) in diameter.

Wardii[3][22]"Ward's yew" Female Grows short and wide.

May reach up to 6 ft (1.8 m) tall and 20 ft (6.0 m) in diameter.

Named after Charles Willis Ward.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Taxus × media.
  1. ^Collins, Dennis; Mill, Robert R.; Möller, Michael (2003). "Species separation of Taxus baccata, T. canadensis, and T. cuspidata (Taxaceae) and origins of their reputed hybrids inferred from RAPD and cpDNA data". American Journal of Botany. 90 (2): 175–182. doi:10.3732/ajb.90.2.175. ISSN 1537-2197. PMID 21659107.
  2. ^ abTaxus and taxol: a compilation of research findings (Report). Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. May 1999. pp. 27–30. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  3. ^ abcdeChadwick, L. C.; Keen, R. A. (May 1976). A Study of the Genus Taxus (Report). Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  4. ^ abc"Plant Database". plantdatabase.uconn.edu.
  5. ^"Taxus/ Yew Bonsai – Bonsai4Me". bonsai4me.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  6. ^"Taxus × media – Purdue Arboretum Explorer". Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  7. ^Taylor, Matthew D. (2014-11-01). "Preventing Death and Taxus: Review and Recommendations for Managing Taxus in the Landscape with Overview on Phytophthora cinnamomi, Soil, and Nutrition Status". Arboriculture & Urban Forestry. 40 (6): 345–350. doi:10.48044/jauf.2014.032. ISSN 1935-5297.
  8. ^Wilson, C. R.; Sauer, J.; Hooser, S. B. (2001). "Taxines: A review of the mechanism and toxicity of yew (Taxus spp.) alkaloids". Toxicon. 39 (2–3): 175–85. Bibcode:2001Txcn...39..175W. doi:10.1016/s0041-0101(00)00146-x. PMID 10978734.
  9. ^"Taxus × media 'Beanpole' - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  10. ^"Taxus x media Beanpole". www.plantstogrow.com. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  11. ^"Taxus × media 'Brownii' - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  12. ^"Taxus × media 'Brownii' – Purdue Arboretum Explorer". Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  13. ^"Taxus × media 'Densiformis' - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  14. ^"Taxus × media 'Hatfieldii' – Purdue Arboretum Explorer". Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  15. ^"Taxus × media 'Hicksii' - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  16. ^"Taxus × media 'Hicksii' | Landscape Plants | Oregon State University". landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
  17. ^Botanica's Pocket: Trees and Shrubs. Tandem Verlag. Feb 28, 2008. p. 892. ISBN 978-3-8331-4468-4.
  18. ^"Taxus x media Kelseyi". www.plantstogrow.com. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  19. ^Jacobson, Arthur Lee (1996). North American landscape trees. Ten Speed Press. pp. 618–619. ISBN 978-0-89815-813-7.
  20. ^Pedley, John G. (2012). The Life and Work of Francis Willey Kelsey: Archaeology, Antiquity, and the Arts. University of Michigan Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-472-11802-1.
  21. ^"Taxus × media 'Tautonii' | Landscape Plants | Oregon State University". landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
  22. ^"Taxus × media 'Wardii' - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
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