The Chinese yew is a woody, needled evergreen tree or shrub in the Taxaceae family. It is native to China and the word chinensis refers to China. The species was found by Augustine Henry, a Scotsman, in China around 1885 to 1886. It can be grown in full sun or partial shade and requires sandy or loamy, neutral to acidic soil with good drainage. It can rapidly reach its mature height of 10 feet and width of 10 to 15 feet wide. It is easy to propagate from stem cuttings, responds well to pruning, and is tolerant of heat and drought. As with all Taxus species, the fleshy structure partially surrounding the seed is the aril. A fleshy aril about the size of a pea is open on one end to reveal a single, hard seed. The aril is a food source for wildlife, particularly songbirds. It has exfoliating bark. Chinese yew is primarily grown for its foliage. Employ it in the landscape as a barrier or privacy screen, or an accent in a winter garden. A specimen just outside the lath house at the JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University is still performing magnificently after many years. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Leaf blight and fungal diseases can be an issue. It is a host plant for the walnut root lesion nematode. VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Taxus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.