BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Taxus brevifolia
western yew
| Scientific Name: | Taxus brevifolia Nutt. | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | western yew | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vascular Plant | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | TAXUBRE | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Aug 2016) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S5 (Apr 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
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| General Status Canada: | 4 - Secure (2010) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
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| Global Ecology Comments: | Extremely shade tolerant. Usually found in the understory of dense coniferous forests, where growth rates are extremely slow. It apparently requires shade for establishment, but older trees are able to adapt to overstory removal (Crawford, 1983). Moisture requirements are fairly high and, in drier areas, it is limited to streamsides, seepsides, and shady, north-facing slope bottoms. (Bolsinger and Jaramillo 1990). Common associates in more mesic situations (where most of the trees are found) include Pseudotsuga menziesii, Berberis nervosa, Polystichum munitum, and Acer circinatum (Bolsinger and Jaramillo 1990). Tolerates a wide range of temperature conditions. Elevations range from sea level to 2440 m at the southern end of its range, in the Sierra Nevada (Bolsinger and Jaramillo 1990) | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | An understory tree of Pacific Northwest forests, found in light to deep shade. Somewhat moist forests, especially along streams and on slopes (Hitchcock, et al. 1955). In poorly drained mixed conifer forests at the northern extent of its range. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Elevation (m) (min / max): | Provincial: | ||||||||||
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| Economic Attributes | |||||||||||
| Global Economic Use: |
Building materials/timber
FIBER Folk medicine MEDICINE/DRUG Pharmaceutical |
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| Global Economic Comments: | Currently there is only a very modest economic incentive to harvest bark for medicinal purposes. Harvest pressure has eased with the development of new ways to manufacture taxol. Rarely cultivated for horticultural uses as it is suseptible to root weevil in cultivation and similar plants are widley available. The wood is very rot resistant and has been used for fenseposts, boat decking, canoe paddles, and many other tools and utinsils. (Bolsinger and Jaramillo 1990). | ||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Taxus brevifolia is limited to the Pacific Northwest of North America, ranging from northwest California north to southernmost southeast Alaska and east to British Columbia and Montana (Vance et al. 2001). | ||||||||||
| Disjunct, more common elsewhere: | |||||||||||
| Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere: | |||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | MAYBURY, K. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Jan 02, 2007 | ||||||||||
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| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Bolsinger, C.L. and A.E. Jaramillo. 1990. Pacific yew. Unnumbered chapter in Burns, R.M. and B.H. Honkala, technical coordinators. Silvics of North America: Volume I, conifers. U.S.D.A. Handbook 654. U.S. Forest Service, Washington, D.C. 877 pp. |
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Crawford, R.C. 1983. Pacific yew community ecology in north-central Idaho with implications to forest land management. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Idaho, Moscow. |
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1993a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 2. Pteridophytes and gymnosperms. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xvi + 475 pp. |
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Little, E.L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees (native and naturalized). Agriculture Handbook No. 541. U.S. Forest Service, Washington, D.C. 375 pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2007. Species Summary: Taxus brevifolia. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jan 23, 2026).