Taxus cuspidata 'Nana' / dwarf Japanese yew

Taxus cuspidata 'Nana' is a slow-growing, widely spreading male selection of Japanese yew with dense, short, stiff branching; and dull-green, radially arranged needles. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 24 inches (60 cm) tall and 32 inches (80 cm) wide, an annual growth rate of 2 to 3 inches (5 - 7.5 cm).

This cultivar originated long ago in Japan. German botanist and explorer, P.F. von Siebold brought the first plants to Leiden, The Netherlands in the early 1860s. This conifer is also known in botanical literature under the synonymous names 'Brevifolia' and 'Compacta'.

Taxus cuspidata 'Nana' at the Asian Collection of The U.S. National Arboretum, Washington, D.C. Plant is growing in mostly shade; photo from May, 2006.
Photo by Dax Herbst

Comments

Katherine Wagner-Reiss

I have read that this is a female cultivar. If that is correct, would a particular male cultivar need to be planted so that the red cones will form?

Maxwell Cohn

Hi Katherine. This cultivar is a male clone ... no berries to be expected.