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Hi Buckhart & All, Oct 20, 2010
The pulp of the native T. canadensis berry is a refreshing nibble. I
have always taken care not to crush or swallow the seed but wonder if the
seed is as toxic as rumored.
I associate Yew with soil conditions that lead to relatively open
woodland (especially wooded swamps, excessively drained coarse sand/gravel
and shallow coarse soil over bedrock). In such habitats it is likely to be
present but is easily missed because the distribution is clustered as
opposed to diffuse. I doubt that it can persist long in woods with a closed
canopy or a dense understory.
Deer will browse Yew almost to ground level but high deer populations
(as yet) tend to last only a few decades until we have one or more winters
of long deep snow and high doe mortality. One time I encounted a Yew swamp
of about 1-2 acre that had been used as a winter bedding area and there
were only remnants left (Palmeter woods; turn west past bridge and follow an
old sled road along base of esker until road turns north) while 4-6 hundred
paces NW of this a large tall patch has never had more than light browsing.
There is an extract of a Western Yew that is used for cancer treatment
(Taxol ?) and I think our species also contains this. Some decades ago there
was talk I think of gathering our Yew for this purpose. Whether this was
just for a test and/or whether it came to anything I don't recall having
heard.
Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
----- Original Message -----
From: "Burkhard Plache" <burkhardplache@gmail.com>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 3:13 PM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] yew bush with "berries"
> As far as I know:
>
> For humans, the red part of the 'berry' is the only non poisonous
> part of yew, regardless of species.
> Ornarmentals are often Taxus cuspidata (Japanese yew).
>
> It is possible to make a jelly from the red seed (not cone) coat,
> but the difficult part is making sure to properly separate the seed.
> I would not experiment myself.
>
> Even working on yew wood (sanding) can be problematic.
> 100 grams of foliage may suffice to kill you.
> If you survive, permanent damage to inner organs (esp. liver) is likely.
>
> Various deer species browse yew without problem,
> cattle are somewhat and horses very negatively affected when digesting
> yew.
>
> Sadly, native yew is hard to find, some people claim due to browsing by
> deer.
> I am wondering if yew was more plentiful before white tailed deer arrived.
>
> - Burkhard
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