PLUM-YEW

(Cephalotaxus species), any of about seven species of small coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus Cephalotaxus, comprising the plum-yew family (Cephalotaxaceae). Native to central and eastern Asia, these plants are used in many temperate-zone areas as ornamentals. The small, fleshy, plumlike fruit contains a single, hard seed. The Japanese plum-yew, or cow's tail pine (C. harringtonia), grows only in cultivation; it may reach 3 metres (about 10 feet). The Chinese plum-yew (C. fortuni) grows to 12 m (40 ft) in the wild and up to 6 m (20 ft) under cultivation.