Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. All parts of a taxus plant are toxic to humans with the exception of the berries. Wood from the yew is classified as a closed-pore softwood, similar to cedar and pine.

Publication:
Phylotranscriptomic analysis of the origin and early diversification of land plants PNAS 111, E4859-E4868 (2014)