5.8.5

    Yews are relatively slow growing trees, widely used in landscaping and
    ornamental horticulture. They have flat, dark-green needles, reddish
    bark, and bear seeds with red arils, which are eaten by thrushes,
    waxwings and other birds, dispersing the hard seeds undamaged in their
    droppings. Yew wood is reddish brown (with white sapwood), and very
    hard. It was traditionally used to make bows, especially the English
    longbow.

    In England, the Common Yew (Taxus baccata, also known as English Yew) is
    often found in churchyards. It is sometimes suggested that these are
    placed there as a symbol of long life or trees of death, and some are
    likely to be over 3,000 years old. It is also suggested that yew trees
    may have a pre-Christian association with old pagan holy sites, and the
    Christian church found it expedient to use and take over existing
    sites. Another explanation is that the poisonous berries and foliage
    discourage farmers and drovers from letting their animals wander into
    the burial grounds. The yew tree is a frequent symbol in the Christian
    poetry of T.S. Eliot, especially his Four Quartets.

    (From Wikipedia)