Taxus × hunnewelliana / Hunnewell hybrid yew

Taxus × hunnewelliana as described in 1925 by Alfred Rehder (1863–1949), in Journal of the Arnold Arboretum, vol.6, no.4; is a synthetic hybrid of Canadian yew (Taxus canadensis) and Japanese yew (T. cuspidata), originally crossed around 1900 by T.D. Hartfield at the Hunnewell Pinetum, Wellesly, Massachusetts. This cross has been repeated many times over the years, usually using T. cuspidata as the seed parent.

Description. Hunnewell yew is an evergreen coniferous species of shrubby tree that resembles T. cuspidata, but more slender, faster growing, with narrower, light-green needles that turn reddish brown in winter.

Hardy to USDA Zone 5 — cold hardiness limit between -20° and -10°F (-28.8°C and -23.3°C).