The Yew Tree (Taxus baccata)

The yew (Taxus baccata) belongs to the family Taxaceae and it is very easy to identify because of the scarlet aril surrounding the seed.

It is a highly toxic plant, except for the aril which intends to be seen and eaten by birds, with the seed itself, to make the seed dispersion. Birds see red very well and, in general, flowers with red petals are intended to attract bird pollinators or seed dispersers (there are exceptions - the poppy, etc.).

The yew was the primary source of taxol (obtained initially from the species Taxus brevifolia), a compound that inhibits mitosis and is used to treat certain forms of cancer of the mammary glands, lungs and ovaries.

In the United Kingdom, France, etc.., there are yews with hundreds of years, planted near the cemeteries. There are several explanations to justify why yews are planted in cemeteries. Probably it must have been a Christian appropriation of the symbolism associated with these primeval trees and ancestral places of worship where Christians later built churches and cemeteries.
Its wood is very flexible and was the raw material used to manufacture bows for the armies and also for hunting (Robin Hood, etc....)