Taxus baccata 'Washingtonii' is a dwarf, broadly globose female selection of English yew with open, widely spreading primary branching; short decurving, undulating branchlets; and greenish yellow needles that have narrow yellow margins in summer and an overall bronze cast in winter. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 3 to 4.5 feet (1 - 1.5 m) tall and 6 to 10 feet (2 - 3 m) wide, an annual growth rate of 4 to 6 inches (10 - 15 cm).
This cultivar has been present in the nursery trade since the mid-1860s, having been first published and described in 1864 by R. Smith in Plants of the Fir Trade, 2nd edition.