TAXACEAE

the yew family, constituting the order Taxales and containing five genera of evergreen trees and shrubs, distributed mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. The plants have many branches, covered with alternate, needlelike leaves. Male and female plants are usually separate; the male reproductive units are contained within conelike structures. The usually solitary seeds are covered by fleshy arils (berrylike or plumlike structures). The seed tip is exposed in species of Amentotaxus and Austrotaxus. The genus Amentotaxus contains four species of eastern Asian trees and shrubs, some reaching 10 m (about 30 feet) high. The seeds are borne on short stalks and have reddish yellow seed coverings. The genus Austrotaxus has only one species (A. spicata), native to mountain forests of New Caledonia. Growing from 15 to 25 m tall, the tree resembles the yellow woods in leaf characteristics and growth habit but differs in flower structure and the presence of the seed covering. The genus Pseudotaxus has one species (P. chienii), a shrub from eastern China, seldom more than 4 m high. It resembles Taxus in general appearance but has a cup-shaped, white seed covering. The largest genus, Taxus (yew), has about eight species and many varieties, distributed in North America, Europe, Asia Minor, and eastern Asia. There are about six species in the genus Torreya, found in North America, China, and Japan.