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The Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) belongs to Taxaceae (the Yew family). It is a tall evergreen tree that is native throughout Japan and north-east Asia. This tree grows mainly in cold region, sub-alpine zone and can reach about 20 m in height. The barks are reddish brown, furrowed longitudially and peel thinly. The leaves are linear about 2 cm long, and arrange spirally or in double rows. It is dioecious, rarely monoecious. The pale yellow male flowers and pale green female flowers come in March to May. The seeds are covered with rose-pink arils that are sweet and edible. The Japanese name comes from the fact that a scepter was once made from this wood. In Chinese, it is called "東北紅豆杉" (dong bei hong dou shan).
In Korean, it's called "ju-mok" (주목). This is written as "朱木" in kanji, a name derived from the fact that everything about the tree-from its bark and heartwood to the fruit that ripens in the fall-has a strikingly red hue.
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