Yew

Taxus baccata

• Height: up to 15 m
• Trunk: initially smooth and reddish-brown bark; with age, it develops into a scaly bark that peels off in broad, thin plates; branches from the base; usually a small tree or shrub
• Leaves: needles arranged in a spiral, often forked on lateral branches, soft needles with a midrib on the underside
• Fruits/Seeds: berry-like seed coat (aril), bright scarlet, slightly frosted
• Other: tolerates pruning very well, therefore also found as a hedge or topiary

^{Photos: BUND Naturschutz in Bayern (1,2,3,4,5)}