Taxus cuspidata ‘Nana’
Common name: Japanese yew 

Caution: Poisonous!

This tree was planted in 1939, long before this cultivar arrived in the American nursery trade in the early 2000s. “Nana’ means small and refers to the small stature of this shrub in landscaping. This tree has a slow growth rate so it stays small for a long time, but in ideal conditions it is a medium-height tree reaching heights between 10 and 20 feet. This variety is native to Japan and the Russian Far East. Japanese yews are dioecious with males producing cones and females producing red berry-like fruits.  

Growing preferences:

• Can grow in full sun to partial shade
• Moist, well-drained sandy loam
• Zones 4 though 7

Photos taken at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts on November 4th 2020

Web References:

• https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=292598&isprofile=0&gen=Taxus#:~:text=nana%20(nana%20meaning%20small)%20is,un%2Dnana%2Dlike%20shrub.
• https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=292598&isprofile=0&gen=Taxus
• https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/japanese-yew
• (1) https://conifersociety.org/conifers/taxus-cuspidata-nana-aurescens/#:~:text=Nana%20Aurescens-,Taxus%20cuspidata%20'Nana%20Aurescens’%20%2F%20Nana%20Aurescens%20Japanese%20yew,end%20of%20the%20growing%20season.