Canada yew
General poisoning notes:
Canada yew (Taxus canadensis) is a native shrub that grows in the moist rich woodlands of eastern Canada. It has also been planted in various parts of the country as an ornamental. In one case in British Columbia, several cattle became ill and some died after ingesting the leaves and twigs of a Canada yew that had been planted for ornamental purposes (Bruce 1927).
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Taxus canadensis Marsh.
Taxus canadensis Marsh.
Geographic Information
British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward, Island, Quebec.
Notes on Poisonous plant parts:
Leaves, twigs, and seeds are poisonous. Only the red arils, the fleshy outer parts of the fruits, are considered nontoxic (Bruce 1927; Lampe and McCann 1985).
Toxic parts:
Leaves, seeds, twigs .
Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:
Taxine (taxin), is a complex mixture of alkloids that is rapidly absorbed from the digestive tract and interferes with heart action (Lampe and McCann 1985, Feldman et al. 1987).
Toxic plant chemicals:
Taxine
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.
Cattle
General symptoms of poisoning:
Death, lungs, congestion of
Notes on poisoning:
Leaves, twigs, and seeds are poisonous. Only the red arils, the fleshy outer parts of the fruits, are considered nontoxic (Bruce 1927; Lampe and McCann 1985).
