The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: prostrate Japanese plum-yew

Family: Taxaceae (yew family)

Distribution: Species native to Japan and Korea

Hardiness: USDA Zone 5

Life form: Evergreen shrub

Comments: An excellent, low-growing evergreen conifer shrub growing to only 3' tall, but spreading up to 12' wide. Dark green foliage, much like that of yews (Taxus). Fruits are cinnamon-red to blue-green and about the size of an olive. Dioecious plant that needs male and female plants for fruit production. Tolerant of heavy shade and withstanding droughty soil. A good, hardy substitute for the common yew, combining shade and drought tolerance of the latter but unique for its resistance to deer browse.