Knowra Taxus Taxus Taxus is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees and shrubs native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Its species have fleshy seed coverings and poisonous foliage, and some yield compounds used to make cancer drugs.
Conifer : A cone-bearing vascular plant, usually evergreen, in the division Pinophyta. Taxus belongs to this broader group, though its seed-bearing structures are unusual.
Paclitaxel : A chemotherapy drug that stabilizes microtubules and is used against several cancers. It is the best-known pharmaceutical derived from compounds first found in a Taxus species.
Taxus cuspidata : The Japanese yew, an evergreen conifer native to Japan, Korea, and parts of northeastern Asia. Its cold tolerance and compact forms have made it a common garden and hedging plant.
Juniperus : A genus of conifers that includes junipers and red-cedars, many bearing fleshy seed cones. Juniper cones can resemble yew arils, but they enclose seeds rather than leaving a naked seed exposed.
Aril : A fleshy structure that partly or wholly covers a seed. The yew's red, berry-like aril surrounds its seed without enclosing it in a true fruit.
Docetaxel : A chemotherapy drug in the taxane class that stabilizes microtubules. This related taxane was developed from a precursor found in European yew needles.
Taxus canadensis : The Canada yew, a low-growing conifer native to eastern North America. Unlike tree-form yews, this species often spreads as a shrub across forest understories.
Angiosperm : A flowering plant whose seeds develop enclosed within an ovary that becomes a fruit. Yews produce no flowers or true fruits; their fleshy arils do not enclose the seeds.
Taxine alkaloids : A group of toxic alkaloids found in yew plants. These compounds account for much of the danger posed by ingesting yew foliage and seeds.
Taxus baccata : The European yew, a long-lived evergreen tree native to Europe and parts of western Asia and North Africa. It is widely planted as an ornamental and has supplied taxane precursors for drug production.
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