Taxus × media

Taxus × media, more commonly known as the Anglojap yew or simply Taxus media, is a conifer (more specifically, a yew) created by the hybridization of yew species Taxus baccata and Taxus cuspidata. This hybridization was thought to have been performed by the Massachusetts-based horticulturalist T.D. Hatfield in the early 1900s. The common name Anglojap is a portmanteau stemming from the national origin of T. baccata (a species native to England) and the national origin of T. cuspidata (a species native to Japan). Like most yew species, T. × media prefers well-drained and well-watered soils, but has some degree of drought tolerance and in fact may die in conditions of excessive precipitation if the soil beneath the plant is not sufficiently well-drained. Taxus × media is among the smallest extant species in the genus Taxus and (depending upon cultivar) may not even grow to the size of what one would consider a typical tree. Immature shrubs are very small and achieve (over the time span of ten to twenty years) heights of at most 20 ft (6.1 m) and diameters of at most 8 ft (2.4 m), depending on the cultivar. Furthermore, T. × media is known to grow rather slowly and is not injured by frequent pruning, making this hybrid very desirable as a hedge in low-maintenance landscaping and also a good candidate for bonsai. Taxus × media also shares with its fellow yew trees a high level of taxine in its branches, needles, and seeds. Taxine is toxic to the mammalian heart.