Yew

Yew, any of several species of evergreen trees and shrubs of genus Taxus native to the Northern Hemisphere. Yews are often grown as ornamental plants. They have flat, dark-green needles and red-brown bark. Their wood, which is hard and dense, was once valued for its use in archery bows and furniture. The bark, needles, and seeds are poisonous and can be fatal to livestock. Yews native to North America include the western, or Pacific, yew (T. brevifolia), used for cabinetry; the Japanese yew (T. cuspidata), an ornamental shrub; and the American yew, or ground hemlock (T. canadensis), which grows along the ground.