How many years does it generally take for a yew to bear fruit?

The yew is recognized worldwide as a rare natural anti-cancer plant on the verge of extinction. It is an ancient relict tree species left over from the Quaternary glaciation, with a history of 2.5 million years on Earth. It also bears fruit, and the fruit is dark red. So, how many years does it take for a yew to bear fruit?

1. How many years does it take for a yew to bear fruit?

There are many varieties of yew. Different varieties and different types of seedlings have different fruiting ages. If it is the Chinese yew (Taxus chinensis var. mairei), the fruiting time is at 7-8 years of tree age; if it is the Maire yew (Taxus media), the fruiting time is at 4-5 years of tree age. If it is a seedling grown from seed, it generally takes more than 7 years to bear fruit; if it is a cutting-propagated seedling, it takes about 3 years to bear fruit.

The yew is dioecious. Male plants only bloom and do not bear fruit, while female plants only bear fruit and do not bloom. If there is only one yew at home, it cannot bear fruit and can only be kept as a foliage potted plant. There must be both female and male plants. Generally, after the male plant blooms in May-June, the nearby female plant will produce fruit at the leaf axils. The seed maturation period is in October-November, at which time the fleshy outer seed aril of the seed changes from green to yellow-brown.

2. How to distinguish male and female yews?

1. Look at the leaves: The leaves of female yews are relatively short, look very dense, and are darker in color. The leaves of male yews are longer, look relatively sparse, and are lighter in color.

2. Look at the branches: The branches of male yews basically have no forks; if they do fork, then it is a female yew.

3. Look at the flower buds: Those with clearly visible flower buds are male yews. The flower buds of female yews are very small, and only when blooming can you see a small flower like a water droplet.

4. Look at the fruit: The one that can bear fruit is the female yew.