The Canada yew (Taxus canadensis) is an understory shrub common in most forests of Quebec and Eastern North America. This small conifer contains a chemical compound with anti-cancerous properties.

Sometimes called ground spruce or ground hemlock, Canada yew can be identified by its low size and characteristic spread; it is rarely taller than a metre in height. It forms dense stands in the shade of mature trees and sometimes covers large areas in the underbrush. Its bark is reddish-brown; its needles are green, flat, and attached here and there on the stems. In contrast to other resinous trees which produce cones, this yew produces berries, called arils, that are bright red, pulpy and about a centimetre in diameter. Birds love eating arils.

In spite of appearances, the bark, needles and seeds of this shrub are highly toxic. Indigenous peoples used decoctions of this yew to treat rheumatism, but herbalists of today suggest not doing so because of the plant’s toxicity. We now know that the Canada yew contains several poisonous chemical compounds from the taxane family whose main derivative is paclitaxel (Taxol), largely used in chemotherapy.

For some years, the Canada yew has been significantly harvested, which requires obtaining a permit from the Ministry of Forests. In 2017, the main Forestry office established a possible harvest of Canada yew from forest management units of 6,515 tonnes annually. This harvest is renewable when limited to cutting young shoots every five years instead of harvesting the entire plant.

In spite of controlled commercial harvesting, the abundance of Canada yew appears to have diminished in recent years. The decline can be attributed to intense browsing by Virginia (white-tailed) deer and moose – which are not bothered by the toxicity of the plant – to forest fires and to brush-cutting. Let’s hope that adequate management will allow the Canada yew to continue to save lives for a long time into the future.

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