toxcity of yew (taxus)

I have just purchased 3 english yews about 30 inches tall for a hedge. While I was so careful thinking of soil, aspect, wind I completely forgot about poison. I have several very young grandchildren who visit almost every day and love to "work" in the garden - especially picking blueberries and strawberries. Upon realization that the yew is toxic I am debating whether or not to get rid of the yews and plant something else for my hedge. Can anyone tell me just how toxic yews are? The red "berries" look very appealing! Thanks for any information.
Jenmckee

 

The squirrels around here eat them.....

With toxic plants, it's a balance between how toxic they are and how bad they taste. For children, the worst possible scenario is a sweet tasty toxic berry. Fortunately, most toxic plants taste even worse & it's virtually impossible to consume a fatal dose by accident. A child might get a tummy ache & that's it.

With Taxus, the bark, leaves, and seeds are toxic. The red 'berry' part is not.

This excerpt is from Ancient Yew Group - FAQs
"Effect on humans
Fifty to one hundred grams of chopped leaves is considered fatal to adults.
A world-wide investigation in 1998 (Krenzelok et al.) shows 11,197 records of yew poisoning (from all Taxus species) in humans (96.4% in children less than 12 years old) and found no deaths. A 1992 article in Forensic Science International (Van Ingen et al.) stated that only 10 authenticated cases of fatal human poisoning by T. baccata had been recorded in the previous 31 years, and that they were all deliberate.
Krenzelok, E.P., Jacobsen, T.D. & Aronis, J. (1998) "Is the yew really poisonous to you?", Journal of Toxicology Clinical Toxicology, 36, 219-223.
Van Ingen, G., Visser, R., Peltenburg, H., Van Der Ark, A.M. & Voortman, M. (1992) "Sudden unexpected death due to Taxus poisoning. A report of five cases, with review of the literature". Forensic Science International, 56, 81-87.
(Copyright © Fred Hageneder 2005)"

 

thank you very much. Looks like I will be able to keep them.

 

Also, by the time your yews are old enough to be producing 'berries' (modified cones, actually!), your grandchildren will be at least late teens, maybe 20s, well past the 'try and taste everything' stage.

 

I wish that were true but they are covered in the red fleshy capsules as they sit in the pots.

 

Yes, vegetatively propagated cultivars in particular may cone in a small size - this is not unusual. However, as with all poisonous plants and other potential hazards the children must be taught to avoid them anyway. Tots who may try to eat slugs (or worse) have to be constantly watched anyway, so having the yews there should not make much difference. If the yews are perfect for the spot I would not take them back to the nursery just because children will be using the site, if you try to make it so the kids are not able to encounter any threat at all in the garden you will have to strip it.

Although variable straight (typical) T. baccata might be expected to have wide-spreading crowns with low branches, however if you are going to shear them into a formal hedge this will be inconsequential. Otherwise I would expect you actually came home T. baccata 'Fastigiata', Irish yew - although not always in good supply this is much more likely to be encountered in outlets here than ordinary T. baccata, which I don't think I have ever seen offered actually (doubtless a specialty grower or two has occasionally offered seedlings as T. baccata). Other cultivars will also be far more prevalent than the typical plant, as are some of the many selections derived from T. x media.