Taiwan Plum Yew

Cephalotaxus wilsoniana is the Taiwanese variety of plum yew, which grows all over the island of Taiwan and nowhere else. In comparison ...Read Moreto the globally more common Cephalotaxus harringtonia, this subspecies has longer and more tapered needles, and is less hardy, but is otherwise difficult to distinguish. In their native range, these plants can grow into good-sized trees, but in cultivation they're more likely to grow as large shrubs.

An exotic-looking yew-like evergreen conifer. The long, flat, glossy, dark green needles (to 3") are arranged in a plane, and remind me o...Read Moref a gentleman whose hair is slicked and parted down the middle. I'm still looking for the handlebar mustache.

The plants on the Chinese Walk at the Arnold Arboretum (labeled simply Cephalotaxus sinensis) have a loose, open, multitrunked habit, to 12' if they stood upright. I'd call them shrubs rather than trees, except they can grow to treelike dimensions. They look tropical, but they're doing fine in Z6a.

They're different from anything I've seen before. I think they're handsome, and the texture is unique. Their trunks also have handsome bark: chestnut colored, exfoliating, disclosing a lighter underlayer. They aren't a traditional landscape plant, but I think they'd look splendid in the back of a large mixed border.

The foliage is also said to be highly unpalatable to deer.