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Taxus baccata L.

This imposing specimen, some 500 years old, grows at the entrance of Tassita Wood, which also includes other yews, beeches, hollies, mountain maples, mountain elms and ashes – within the “zone A” of the Nebrodi Park. Right there, the largest nucleus (74 acres) of yews in Sicily grow and thrive, thoroughly protected from harm.

The abovementioned specimen is about 19-ft tall and has reached a maximum circumference of 12.4 ft. The monocormic, gnarled and ribbed stem is split into two branches at about 2.6 ft from the ground. The part facing south-east is deeply carved by caries.
There are many broken branches, especially downwards. The foliage has the typical conical shape.
All in all, the plant appears in a fair vegetative state, while its phytosanitary conditions are quite mediocre.

How to reach it

Travel along the SP 168 Caronia – Capizzi road to Portela dell’Obolo, then take the dirt track to Bosco Tassita.

Botanical Card:

This species is usually found as a polycormic evergreen shrub. It is most abundant in Europe and Asia, but it also grows in some parts of North Africa.

Yews grow along the temperate mountain belt where winters are snowy, but not too cold, while summers are usually warm. It’s a sciophilous species that thrives in shade, prefers calcareous soils and never grows alone in a forest, as it’s usually found among beeches, maples and conifers at heights between 984ft and 5.250 ft.

This species is toxic, as seeds and leaves contain taxine, an extremely poisonous alkaloid.
Only fruits and fleshy arils are edible and highly appreciated by birds.
Due to its toxicity and difficulty of dosage, any potential pharmaceutical use would not be feasible.

The yew has a very slow growth and for this reason, it often grows with the shape of a shrub; in optimal conditions, however, it can reach 49-65 ft in height. In some Italian regions, it is considered a protected species. It is widely used in gardens as an ornamental hedge or as an isolated plant. It tolerates pruning very well and in the Roman Age it was already pruned according to “ars topiaria” (“topiary”) criteria.

The wood is used for cabinetry, thanks to its acclaimed features: elasticity, toughness, heaviness and hardness.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)