Yew wood is one of the types of wood that has a wide range of applications in various industries. Due to the special features of this wood, it can be used to design and produce various objects and products. This type of wood is known as one of the masterpiece species in forests. The yew tree, as a unique species, has a special beauty despite its red chestnut color and is considered a valuable type of wood.
The unique beauty of yew wood, along with its distinctive features, such as being well-carved, has made it known as a practical and suitable element for making luxury items. Yew tree wood is one of the strong and resistant types of wood and that’s why special attention has been paid to its distinctive features.
Due to the slow growth of the yew tree, it is necessary to make more efforts to protect this valuable species in nature. Of course, today, many efforts have been made by nature lovers to reproduce this plant artificially, thus the extinction process of this species will be accompanied by a slower rate and eventually, the probability of its destruction will also decrease.
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Yew Tree Details
The yew tree is one of the types of trees that have different properties such as poisonous and medicinal properties. The growth of the yew tree, which is known as a durable type of tree, takes place slowly so that its average growth can be observed annually at about 10 cm. This tree is also named the tree of life and needs special care due to its valuable features.
The flowers of the yew tree are seen in both male and female forms, and these flowers do not have sepal in appearance. The seed-free fruit of yew is used to prepare a kind of syrup and jelly, which can be used to relieve cough or to remove kidney stones. The poisonous parts of this plant are less considered in medical use and the medicinal compounds prepared from it should be consumed with a specific amount that is recommended.
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Appearance Characteristics
The yew tree has a long life and a diameter of about 3 meters. The height of the yew tree varies from 9 to 30 meters. For this reason, the yew tree is known as one of the types of ancient heritage, which is among the evergreen trees with fresh and evergreen leaves.
The reason for naming this tree is because of the color of its trunk, which is seen as red. In addition, the leaves of the yew tree show very good resistance against insects.
Since the wood of the yew tree does not contain gum, it is known as one of the exceptional types of trees among conifers, and for this reason, it can be described as long-lasting.
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Long Life
One of the distinctive characteristics of yew trees is that they have a long life of about 400 to 600 years, and in some cases, some species of yew can live longer. It is not possible to make a definite opinion about the age of yew trees because the trunk of this type of tree is hollow, and therefore it is not possible to count the rings to determine the age of the tree.
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Resistance to Adverse Conditions
Another characteristic of yew trees is that it is possible to continue their growth even in adverse conditions. Because they are able to stop their growth in the presence of an unfavorable atmosphere and resume their growth when the conditions are favorable. When the conditions are not favorable, it is not possible to add a ring to the trunk of the tree, and this is another reason that eliminates the possibility of estimating the age of this species definitively and reliably.
Yew trees can also be seen in the northern regions of Iran, but it is known as one of the endangered species.
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Being Poisonous
The leaves and seeds of the yew tree are poisonous and this type of tree is known as one of the shade-loving trees that do not need much light to grow. The seedless fruit of this plant can be used for therapeutic purposes and has softening properties. Of course, due to the poisonous nature of different parts of this plant, it is necessary to take care when using it. It should be noted that direct contact with the leaves and seeds of this poisonous plant should be avoided. Because they can quickly cause symptoms of poisoning.
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Health Benefits
Yew is one of the anti-cancer drugs due to the presence of certain compounds called Taxol, which is sometimes used because of its soothing and disinfecting properties. Taxol in the yew tree has been considered for the treatment of breast and prostate cancer.
Yew is a herbal remedy that plays an important role in strengthening the stomach and in treating and relieving rheumatism.
Properties of Yew Wood
Due to the properties found in this species, the yew tree is known as one of the plants that are used for industrial, medicinal and decorative purposes.
Yew tree wood is seen as a type of semi-heavy wood, which has less tooling capability.
Another characteristic of yew tree wood is that it is highly malleable, and for this reason, its varnishability and paintability can be taken into consideration for making the necessary items.
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Application and Uses
Yew wood has good flexibility and elasticity. Among the industries that use yew wood are handicrafts, where it is used as the main material for turning and carving. Due to the high durability and strength of yew wood, it is possible to make wooden sculptures and decorative covers, the result of which is the production of high-quality products with unique beauty.
This type of wood is used to make boats and is one of the well-known woods used in industries such as artifacts.
Yew wood has many extractive substances that have their own use. At the same time, because it has a high density, it is a special and widely used wood.
The uniform fibers that are present in yew wood have made its usage more for special cases.
The wood of the yew tree is also used in house construction due to its unique resistance, and this wood can be used to make military and household items. So you can see some historical houses built with yew wood columns in some northern regions of Iran. Of course, today, despite the strong materials, this wood is used to a much lesser extent for building houses.
In sacred places and old mansions, you can see the use of yew wood, which is used in these cases because of its hardness and strength.
If we want to compare yew wood with hardwood like oak, we can see that this wood is harder than oak.
Yew wood is used in interior and exterior decoration. In addition, it is possible to use yew tree wood to make kitchen cabinets and windows.
At the same time, some species of the yew tree are planted in different regions of the world as an ornamental species in parks to make the beauty of their surroundings double.
