Taxus cuspidata 'Amersfoort' is an attractive, slow-growing shrub-form of Japanese yew with stiff, outward-spreading branches and dark-green, short, oval, flattened needles that are unusual for this species. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 36 inches (90 cm) tall and 24 inches (60 cm) wide, an annual growth rate of around 3 inches (7.5 cm).
This cultivar originated in France in the 1930s and brought to the nursery of D.B.B. van den Hoorn, in Boskoop, The Netherlands, who later planted it on the grounds of Amersfoort Psychiatric Hospital, The Netherlands, hence the cultivar name. The plant was so unusual and distinctive that it defied identification. Initial attempts were Podocarpus, later Taxus baccata. A recently reverted specimen in The Netherlands, made it quite obvious that this cultivar belongs in T. cuspidata.
'Amersfoort' makes for a fine addition to the conifer collector's garden.
