Yew

Author: Hageneder, Fred

Gardening: shrubs & trees

Published on 1 April 2023 by REAKTION BOOKS in the United Kingdom as part of 'the Botanical' series.

Paperback | 208 pages, 110 illustrations, 89 in colour
139 x 217 x 14 | 422g

Europe's most ancient species of tree, the yew has many unique characteristics: it is a 'conifer' without resin or cones, and though it has an extraordinarily low rate of photosynthesis, it can grow where other plants wither and die. It was in the Palaeolithic Era that humans were first struck by the yew's regenerative powers and began to associate it with concepts of life, death, the afterlife and eternity. Yew trees can be found at the sacred sites of Native Americans and Buddhists, and Shinto shrines in Japan, as well as in Christian churchyards, where they became a symbol of the Resurrection.

Now available in paperback, this richly illustrated cultural and natural history includes the latest scientific discoveries about a most remarkable tree.