Yew Berries

Day 62: I don't know if it's myth or fact, but I've heard it said that yew fruits every seventh year. I suspect there's some validation for the statement, although I would think the schedule might be somewhat less rigid. At least in my own observations of the solitary female yew in my hedgerow, I have only seen the berries (arils, actually) appear four or five times in the thirty years I've lived here. Aril. Yes, let's look at that word a little more closely while we're at it. Technically, these little red Christmas ornaments hiding in the deep green shadows are not berries, despite what they look like. "Aril" describes the fleshy outer covering of the seeds of certain plants like yew. In fact, the pips inside a pomegranate are also arils, each containing a single seed. As for the arils of the yew, be strongly advised that although the fleshy portion is considered edible, the seed inside is poisonous! The foliage of the yew is also poisonous when ingested, and the toxins it contains may be absorbed through the skin. That said, yew'd do well to leave the whole plant alone.