Taxus ÃÂ media, also referred to as the hybrid yew, intermediate yew, Anglo-Japanese yew, or Anglojap yew, is a hybrid species of yew created as the offspring of English yew Taxus baccata and Japanese yew Taxus cuspidata. This hybridization is thought to have been first performed by the Massachusetts-based horticulturalist T.D. Hatfield in the early 1900s.
Taxus ÃÂ media is grown in a large number of shrubby, often wide-spreading, cultivars under a variety of names.
Taxus ÃÂ 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 and diameters of at most , depending on the cultivar. Furthermore, T. ÃÂ 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.
Like most yew species, T. ÃÂ media can thrive in many soil types and is tolerant to temporary fluctuations in moisture, but is highly prone to developing root rot in wet, poorly-drained conditions.
Like all yews, Taxus ÃÂ media contains a high level of taxines in its branches, needles, and seeds. Taxines are toxic to the mammalian heart.