Taxus × media

Taxus × media, sometimes known simply as Taxus media, is a conifer (more specifically, a yew) created by the hybridization of English yew Taxus baccata and Japanese yew Taxus cuspidata. This hybridization is thought to have been performed by the Massachusetts-based horticulturalist T.D. Hatfield in the early 1900s.^[1]

Taxus × media
Two immature Taxus media var. hicksii yews planted in central Indiana, United States of America. Although T. media are slow-growing, the specimen on the right may require pruning within 2–3 years in order to avoid blocking the nearby sidewalk.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnospermae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Cupressales
Family:	Taxaceae
Genus:	Taxus
Species:	T. × media
Binomial name
Taxus × media Rehder

Taxonomy and common naming

Taxus × media is available in a large number of shrubby, often wide-spreading, cultivars under a variety of names.^{[citation needed]}

Description

Like most yew species, T. × media prefers well-drained and well-watered soils, but has some degree of drought tolerance and in fact may die in conditions of excessive precipitation if the soil beneath the plant is not sufficiently well-drained.^{[citation needed]}

Taxus × media is among the smallest extant species in the genus Taxus and (depending upon cultivar) may not even grow to the size of what one would consider a typical tree. Immature shrubs are very small and achieve (over the time span of ten to twenty years) heights of at most 20 ft (6.1 m) and diameters of at most 8 ft (2.4 m), depending on the cultivar.^[1] Furthermore, T. × media is known to grow rather slowly and is not injured by frequent pruning, making this hybrid very desirable as a hedge in low-maintenance landscaping and also a good candidate for bonsai.^{[citation needed]}

Toxicity

Taxus × media also shares with its fellow yew trees a high level of taxine in its branches, needles, and seeds. Taxine is toxic to the mammalian heart.^[2]

Varieties (cultivars)

• Taxus × media var. hicksii (also known by the common name Hicks's yew or alternately, Hicks yew) is a common cultivar of this hybrid, and is the tallest and thinnest variety of T. × media, limiting itself to a 4 ft (1.2 m) diameter, despite the fact it can achieve a height of close to 20 ft (6.1 m).^[1][3]
• Another commonly-planted cultivar of T. × media is the broader-spreading densiformis version, which can reach a diameter exceeding 10 feet; nonetheless, this cultivar does not grow much past 5 ft (1.5 m) in height.^[1]
• Another cultivar of T. × media is the Kelseyi version (known as the Kelsey yew), with a height of 15 ft (4.6 m) at maturity, and a spread of 10 ft (3.0 m). It is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a low canopy about 1 foot from the ground.^[4]

References

1. "Plant Database". plantdatabase.uconn.edu.
2. Wilson, C. R.; Sauer, J.; Hooser, S. B. (2001). "Taxines: A review of the mechanism and toxicity of yew (Taxus spp.) alkaloids". Toxicon. 39 (2–3): 175–85. doi:10.1016/s0041-0101(00)00146-x. PMID 10978734.
3. "Anglojap Yew (Taxus x media ) - Selecting Shrubs for Your Home - University of Illinois Extension". web.extension.illinois.edu.
4. "Kelsey Yew (Taxus x media 'Kelseyi')". Thies Farm. Retrieved July 5, 2021.