Taxus baccata 'Cheshuntensis' / Chesthuntensis yew

Taxus baccata 'Cheshuntensis' is a fast-growing, broadly conical, erect cultivar of Common yew with ascending branches and very densely arranged 2-ranked long, broad needles, which are normally 1.2 inches (30 mm) long and 0.16 inch (4 mm) wide, glossy green above and dark Blue-green beneath. Typical rate of growth in most areas is ca. 6 inches (16 cm) per year, resulting in a dense shrub, 5 feet (1.6 m) tall and 3.5 feet (1.1 m) wide after 10 years in the landscape. This cultivar has proven to be quite suitable for hedging.

It is curious to note that Welch & Haddow (1993) recorded this as a female cultivar, but Hoffman (1993) noted that is is actually a male clone which produces abundant pollen cones. This record is supported by frequent first-person observations.

William Paul Nursery, Waltham Cross, UK is credited with the origin and introduction of this cultivar. It came about as a seedling selected from seed from a specimen 'Fastigiata' in the late 1850s.

Attribution from: Aris Auders and Derek Spicer; RHS Encyclopedia of Conifers; ©2012 Kingsblue Press