Plant
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Size
10–20 m tall (can spread wide)About the height of a four to six-storey building
Lifespan
Often 400–600 years; some ancient churchyard Yews are believed to be 2,000+ years old
Rarity
Common
M vs F
Dioecious — individual trees are either male or female; only female trees produce the red berry-like fruit
Habitat
Churchyards, chalk downland, and woodland understory; extremely long-lived and slow-growing
Best time
Evergreen year-round; female trees show bright red fruit from autumn
Conservation
LC
💡 Did you know?
Yew trees are famous for growing in churchyards, and some are believed to be over 2,000 years old — meaning they may have been alive since before the Romans arrived in Britain!
Almost every part of the Yew tree is toxic except the fleshy red aril around the seed — but the hard seed inside is itself poisonous, so the fruit should never be eaten whole.
Often confused with
Holly (spiky leaves
different berry colour timing)
Scots Pine (needles in clusters
cones not red fruit)
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