Taxus cuspidata Japanese Yew

A widely recognized medium-sized, vase-shaped evergreen tree or large, heavily branched shrub. The deep green needles align themselves in a flat, single plane along the green and reddish-brown stems. Older bark is maroon-red in color, peeling in long exfoliating shreds. Plants are both sun and shade tolerant performing admirably in many garden positions. The species is best known to gardeners by the numerous commercially available cultivars.