stinking yew

stinking yew, (species Torreya taxifolia), an ornamental evergreen conifer tree of the yew family (Taxaceae), limited in distribution to western Florida and southwestern Georgia, U.S. The stinking yew, which grows to 13 metres (about 43 feet) in height in cultivation, carries an open pyramidal head of spreading, slightly drooping branches. The brownish, orange-tinged bark is irregularly furrowed and scaly. The leaves are spiny-pointed, 2 to 3 cm (about 0.7 to 1.2 inches) long, and 3 mm (0.1 inch) broad; they are dark green and slightly curved above and pale green beneath. The seeds, 2–3 cm long, are surrounded by plumlike, dark purple arils, or seed coverings. Seeds, arils, leaves, and wood emit a disagreeable, fetid odour when bruised or crushed.

Although T. taxifolia does well in cultivation, it is critically imperiled in the wild and is considered an endangered species. Habitat destruction has eliminated some populations, and for reasons not fully understood the remaining plants fail to grow to full height and do not reproduce. Research is under way on methods to stabilize existing remnant populations and to restore stinking yew at some sites where it formerly grew.