AMERICAN YEW

also called Canada Yew, Dwarf Yew, Ground Hemlock, or Creeping Hemlock (Taxus canadensis), a prostrate, straggling evergreen shrub of the family Taxaceae, found in northeastern North America. American yew also is a lumber trade name for the western yew. The American yew, the hardiest of the yew species, provides excellent ground cover in forested areas. Usually growing about 1 m (about 3 feet) high, it has small yellowish green leaves that taper abruptly to a tiny point.