Is this English Yew?

[Stickhead]

I have a small tree / large shrub that's growing too close to the house, and I need to give it the axe.  It looks different than the yew bushes I have, in that it grows more vertically, and has leaves lined up on opposite sides of the twig.  It has no cones or berries, so I assume it's a male.  I'm in Northern VA.  I think a couple of the trunks are large enough to have bows in them. 

So is it a yew?

[PEARL DRUMS]

Yup, that's a yew tree. What variety? Got me there.

[Hawkdancer]

Might get your county or city forester to look at it for yew Pun intended!  Couldn't resist!
Hawkdancer

[DC]

The needles look like Hicks Yew but Hicks looks more upright(multi stemmed) than your pictures. Hicks is a hybrid and I can't find what it's parents are. Maybe one is English Yew.

[DC]

Do a search on Taxus baccatta and see if that's what you've got. I'm thinking it is English Yew.

[Stickhead]

Do a search on Taxus baccatta and see if that's what you've got. I'm thinking it is English Yew.

I’m thinking that’s it.  I don’t think the bark is red enough for Pacific yew.

[DC]

It's not Pacific. Pacific has completely different needles, more like a thin scaggely Hemlock.

[PatM]

It is just a variation of European Yew.   "English" yew is not really a species.  It's just a Yew tree grown in England.

  Yew trees with leaves growing all around the twig are a cultivar of a yew from Ireland that randomly produced this quirk.

  There are also hybrids between Japanese and European Yew.

[Stickhead]

Good info.  Thanks, guys!

[dylanholderman]

Yes it’s some kind of yew, I wouldn’t discount it once being the bush style yew that has just been neglected and grown big.
I’ve seen neglected yew bushes that are 12’-14’ tall and almost as wide.

[PatM]

It's quite common to find yew planted next to buildings as an ornamental.   Many are just left to grow rather than pruned to shape.

[BowEd]

In Iowa we have a lot of yew planted around grave yards.It's always been called Irish yew.More columnular or ornamental type by entry ways.I harvested some once by a house in town after given permission.Very thick growth rings and very light weight.
Your looks different.

[bownarra]

That could be a picture from my local yew grounds and I live in England.

[Hawkdancer]

Got to watch out for them Irish folk!  They are very close to the land and the "bow fairies"!  Be sure to leave a wee nip of uisge beatha in the shop!  Works wonders! !   !
Hawkdancer

[GlisGlis]

show us the staves and billets