Woody > Taxus > Taxus x media > Taxus x media 'Hicksii'
Taxus x media
'Hicksii'
Hicks Yew
Origin: Raised at Hicks Nurseries New York, United States of America. A hybrid clone resulting from a Taxus cuspidata 'Nana' seed parent introduced around 1900.
Mike's
Opinion
"
An upright spreading form commonly used as a vertical accent or material in the landscape. All portions of the plant are toxic if ingested.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Taxaceae |
| Genus |
| Taxus |
| Species |
| x media |
| Cultivar |
| 'Hicksii' |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Shrub (evergreen) |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 5 - 9 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 6 - 8 |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H7 |
| Height |
| 2-3 m |
| Spread |
| 1.5 m |
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Columnar form with multiple leaders, appears lustrous green until you get up close and see the underside has white stomatic bands. |
| Landscape |
| Used to create a hedge for screening, windbreak, or foundation plantings. Can be pruned for a nice even, thick look or left for the more natural form. It can also be used by itself and can be trained as topiary. |
| Cultivation |
| Grow in full sun to partial shade, must be well drained soil sandy loam or humus and slightly acidic. Transplants well balled-in-burlap form. |
| Shape |
| Columnar, growing wider with age, can be pruned to control size or if used as a hedge. |
| Growth |
| Slow |
| ID Characteristic |
| The new bark is reddish-orange with soft dark green slightly curved leaves. There is a pink aril that has the characteristics of its two parent species cuspidata and baccata. |
| Pests |
| None serious |
| Habitat |
| Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| New bark dark orange, glossy very soft and malleable, old bark, gray and flaky. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Globose, orange terminal buds. |
| Leaf Description |
| Dark green about 3 cm in length and about 5 mm in width with a glaucous underside. The needles are stiff, broader than T. baccata and arranged radially on errect shoots and two-ranked on lateral shoots. |
| Flower Description |
| 'Hicksii' only produces female flowers. |
| Fruit Description |
| Round red berries (arial) about 1 cm in diameter with a small hole in the centre where the olive green seed sits. The fruit is eatable and quite sweet while the olive green seed is toxic. |
| Colour Description |
| Rich dark green from a distance, but on close inspection it appears lighter due to it's bloom. |
| Texture Description |
| Looks prickly, but is soft to the touch. Not pruned it appears quite rough but is still soft textured. |
| Notable Specimens |
| The A.M. (Mac) Cuddy Gardens, Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. The Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario, Canada. |
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