Taxus × media

Taxus × media is available in a large number of shrubby, often wide-spreading, cultivars under a variety of names.

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.

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.

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]

• 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]

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