Taxus brevifolia

Pacific yew or western yew is in the yew or Taxaceae family and is native to the Pacific Northwest of North America from southern Alaska to central California, in the Coastal Range. It is a small, extremely slow-growing, shade-tolerant understory tree, reaching a height of 15 m.

• Leaves are flat, dark green above, paler below, apex pointed but not sharp, 1–3 cm long and 2–3 mm broad, arranged spirally on the stem, but with short leaf petioles twisted to align the leaves in two flat rows either side of the stem except on erect leading shoots where the spiral arrangement is more obvious.
• Species is dioecious, bearing male and female flowers on different plants; male cones are small, round, and yellow, 3–6 mm in diameter, on the undersides of the leaves, shedding their pollen in early spring; female flowers are solitary.
• Female fruit is bright red berry-like aril, 8–15 mm long, open at the end and containing a single exposed seed. It is tasty food for birds.
• Bark is thin, reddish brown and scaly.