Water from Yew Trees

[size=medium]I have a very large (male) Yew Tree alongside and quite close to my greenhouse, shed and garden. Parts of the tree, pollen, leaves etc blow onto the roof of the shed and greenhouse and stay there for some time until I clean them off. [/size]

[size=medium]I would like to collect rain water from the roof of the shed and greenhouse to water the vegetable plants both in the garden and greenhouse. The question is, is it safe to use the water that has yew pollen and leaves have soaked in ??[/size]

[size=medium]The vast majority of leaves are dead and brown with only occasional green leaves being on the roof.[/size]

[size=medium]Cheers …… from a confussed and novice gardener [/size]

 

Hi Topdown & welcome to Gardeners Corner.

2 yew seeds are enough to kill a child, so I wouldn't like to risk it myself.

I wouldn't even eat an edible fungus if it were growing on yew.

 

Thanks Ziggy,

However the yew is male so although I have shed loads of pollen, great clouds of it blowing about today, there are no berries and seeds ..... they are all in next doors plot.

Stil none the wiser therefore ..........

 

I would personely say no especialy with crops you are eating as the Yew even with dead brances and leaves still contain the poison taxin , ephedrine a cyanogenic, if its just the general border plants would be fine , but I would stay clear especialy if you have pets and or kids.



Spruce

 

I dont think it would even have entered my mind that there could be a problem.

I fail to see how other plants can take up the poison, and if any is deposited on the leaves any rain would probably wash it off.

Its not just the seeds that contain the poison, so the fact its a male tree has no bearing on the matter.

I should point out I tend to give health and safety a miss at every occasion possible.:D

 

Trouble is if Topdown tries it on the veg and we never get another post from him, we'll never be sure in our conciences whether we'd killed him or not.:DOH:[hr]
Remember, people have died from eating meat cooked on sharpened oleander spikes.

 

Hi its the concentration thats the problem if it is stored "say in a water barrel" and over time the dross builds up normal garden conditions will be fine. And the plant especialy green house ie tomotoes cucumbers would retain the poison.



Spruce

 

Yep, I see the point regarding greenhouse crops Spruce.

Leaf types anyway.

It would be interesting to know how long the toxins in yew take to break down.
I'm sure many people have put the clippings on compost heaps in the past with no ill effects.

 

Yes but look how many members never post anymore

Seriously, thats a good point pete. How long would you want to leave between clearing an old yew hedge & planting ?

 

I'm still here Ziggy.:D

As I understand it, yew was at one point being used to make anti cancer drugs, (or was it heart problems), but I've not heard much on that score lately.

 

:D It was, Taxol I think it was called.

Caught my boss on the mushroom farm clipping it, he said he was posting it to india & that they were paying good money for it.[hr]
Yep, here it is,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paclitaxel

No wonder my boss went bust, it should have been the Pacific Yew :DOH:

 

thanks ziggy, thats the stuff.

Not easy to ID pacific yew from our stuff once its bundled up an sent by airmail, or at least I bet that's what your boss thought:D

On the other hand the Indians might have been making Christmas wreaths out of it.

 

Classic one Ziggy !
Although he has a Morgan on his avatar , so Topdown could wrap himself around an old oak tree

 

I believe you can eat the fruits of yew (but not the seeds) - not that I would want to. Other than the seeds themselves I wonder how toxic the plant actually is. I think too much can be made of this. Although I wash my hands after pickign Aconites I don't NOT pick them because of any inherent fear ...

Apple pips will kill you - I've eaten several when I was hungry enough to eat the whole core ...

 

I've eaten the fleshy parts of the seeds before it it's not exactly unpleasent but it's consistency is just like the the syrup you get in with tinned peaches not much flavour though very sweet