Yew tree help

[JoulesH]

I'm in Leicestershire too and thinking about it, not many of the churchyards I can think of round here do have yew trees, I hadn't really noticed before. The berries are of course seasonal nut at least green ones would be showing by now. There is a clipped yew topiary avenue at Clipsham and an avenue of more mature yews at Easton Gardens (both near the A1). There are yews in Belvoir woods too (as well as Irish yew, with the curly leaves).

[Adam Cheeseman]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

Yews can grow very old. The problem with ageing them is that the middle often rots out, leaving a ring of seperate growths that can't be aged by taking cores.
Jim

and after a while they start growing from the outside by fusing the new shoots growing off the trunk.

Cheers,

Adam

[cutecoot]

Originally Posted by JoulesH

..(as well as Irish yew, with the curly leaves).

Oh blimey, that's going to confuse things!

[Morchella]

One of my books says that the red part of the berry is edible but the black bit in the middle poisonous! I've always thought it pretty inadvisable for them to print that and certainly never been tempted to eat the red part.

[SandyBeds]

Hi Morchella, it's not just something they print, but one of my old lecturers gave us a personal demonstration of how to tackle the fruit (was it a fruit, LOL, should have paid more attention). So it is true, but yes, something that you have to be very careful about! I agree, best not to bother.

[Johnny Redgate]

Hmmm. Well I have eaten the red flesh of the berry and am still here to tell the tale. It is sweet and slimy and not worth the bother. On no account should you ingest the nut/seed in the middle as you're right its very poisonous.