I did a short search on Taxus to try to get to the bottom of things. Much of what I found was quite interesting. The term Taxus came from the Greek words, Toxon (bow) and Toxicon (poison). Today, most uses of Taxus concern its suitability as a landscape specimen. Many of us grew up with a yearly pruning of these shrubs as a chore, mainly T. cuspidata. Its native range is mainly in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Europe, North America, and Asia, each had one or more species that were quite important to the native people. Former uses were where it became interesting. Historically, it was used as a poison, medicine, tools, weapons, etc. The wood is very tough, resistant to decay, and generally good looking.
Taxus baccata is the English yew of which the famous longbow came from. The largest specimen mentioned had a circumference of approximately 50'. Many of the largest, and oldest specimens are believed to have been planted by the Celts perhaps 2,000+ years ago as part of religious ceremonies. It's native range is from Britain to Northern Iran.
Taxus brevifolia was a very important plant to the various tribes of the Northwest U.S. and Canada. In several languages its name means "wedge plant." It was used for any purpose that required a strong, tough wood. Bows, spears, traps, eating utensils, paddles, digging sticks, etc. It also had important medicinal, and ceremonial uses as well. The wood was so highly regarded that it was used as a trade item with tribes outside its native range.
Taxus canadensis, due to its low, spreading growth habit does not appear to be as useful for tool manufacturing as other types. Still, it was a vital plant for a wide range of medicinal purposes. It was widely used as a medicine for rheumatism, arthritis, colds, fevers, etc. The Potawotomie even used it as a diuretic, for gonorrhea.
Taxus cuspidata, the Japanese yew, has a native range of N. Korea, China, and Japan. Its medicinal uses do not appear to be as varied as elsewhere. Still, there is a record of use as an antidiabetic medicine. It was also used in a wide variety of hard use items such as piles, foundations, clogs, chopsticks, etc. The record of the wood's use for bows goes all the way back to the Ainu, the indigenous people of Japan.
Taxus sumatrana is a variety that our friends in Nepal may be familiar with. Its range extends from Afghanistan to Taiwan. While no medicinal uses were listed, the wood was used in all applications where toughness was a primary need. Interestingly, the famous Hindu red dot was made by mixing crushed Taxus bark with oil.
Hopefully, you people will forgive me for leaving a few varieties out. I did not wish to make this post so long, but I did not realize that this plant was so important to so many, back in the day. Hopefully, I will be able to find a few well figured pieces of yew to make into knife handles. I should probably also look into bow construction one of these days. For those of you who are into the Ren Fair, Taxus baccata may still be commercially available in Europe for utensil making. Again, sorry about the length.
Taxus baccata is the English yew of which the famous longbow came from. The largest specimen mentioned had a circumference of approximately 50'. Many of the largest, and oldest specimens are believed to have been planted by the Celts perhaps 2,000+ years ago as part of religious ceremonies. It's native range is from Britain to Northern Iran.
Taxus brevifolia was a very important plant to the various tribes of the Northwest U.S. and Canada. In several languages its name means "wedge plant." It was used for any purpose that required a strong, tough wood. Bows, spears, traps, eating utensils, paddles, digging sticks, etc. It also had important medicinal, and ceremonial uses as well. The wood was so highly regarded that it was used as a trade item with tribes outside its native range.
Taxus canadensis, due to its low, spreading growth habit does not appear to be as useful for tool manufacturing as other types. Still, it was a vital plant for a wide range of medicinal purposes. It was widely used as a medicine for rheumatism, arthritis, colds, fevers, etc. The Potawotomie even used it as a diuretic, for gonorrhea.
Taxus cuspidata, the Japanese yew, has a native range of N. Korea, China, and Japan. Its medicinal uses do not appear to be as varied as elsewhere. Still, there is a record of use as an antidiabetic medicine. It was also used in a wide variety of hard use items such as piles, foundations, clogs, chopsticks, etc. The record of the wood's use for bows goes all the way back to the Ainu, the indigenous people of Japan.
Taxus sumatrana is a variety that our friends in Nepal may be familiar with. Its range extends from Afghanistan to Taiwan. While no medicinal uses were listed, the wood was used in all applications where toughness was a primary need. Interestingly, the famous Hindu red dot was made by mixing crushed Taxus bark with oil.
Hopefully, you people will forgive me for leaving a few varieties out. I did not wish to make this post so long, but I did not realize that this plant was so important to so many, back in the day. Hopefully, I will be able to find a few well figured pieces of yew to make into knife handles. I should probably also look into bow construction one of these days. For those of you who are into the Ren Fair, Taxus baccata may still be commercially available in Europe for utensil making. Again, sorry about the length.
(loud groan accompanies pun). By the way, many of the "mass produced" war bows were made of ash due to the aforementioned scarcity of serviceable yew in the British isles.
