Taxus, Taxus

Over 400 cultivars of yews have been named, the vast majority of these being derived from Taxus baccata (European Yew) or Taxus cuspidata (Japanese Yew).

A popular fastigiate selection of the European Yew ( Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata') is often called the Irish Yew, which often complements the fact of the difficulties with common names.

Over-harvesting of the Pacific Yew for this drug has resulted in it becoming an endangered species, though the drug is now produced semi-synthetically from cultivated yews, without the need to further endanger the wild populations. The more common Canada yew, Taxus canadensis , is also being successfully harvested in northern Ontario, Qubec and New Brunswick, and has become another major source of paclitaxel.

Source: Wikipedia > Taxus