Taxus sp.
Yew, Yew
no rights reserved · CC0
Family: Taxaceae · Type: Shrub · Variable; species dependent
Taxus sp. (Yew) is a non-native California shrub in the Taxaceae family.
How to tell it apart
vs Sequoia: Yew has bright red cup-shaped berries and soft needles; redwood has flat sprays of scale-like leaves and small woody cones.; vs Torreya: Yew has short, soft needles and red cup-shaped fruits; California-nutmeg has long, sharp-tipped aromatic needles and plum-like fruits.; vs Tsuga: Yew has red berry-like fruits open at top; hemlock has small woody hanging cones under 3 inches.; vs Melaleuca: Yew has needle-like leaves in flat sprays; Melaleuca has narrow alternate leaves and bottlebrush-like flower clusters.; vs Abies: Yew has red cup-shaped berries; fir has upright cones that disintegrate on tree leaving central spikes.
Frequently asked questions
Is Taxus sp. native to California?
No. Taxus sp. is not native to California (recorded as variable; species dependent).
What plant family does Taxus sp. belong to?
Taxus sp. is in the Taxaceae family, genus Taxus.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-04-14
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.