Habitat

• result of a cross between T. baccata and T. cuspidata
• zone 4
• developed in the early 1900 by T.D. Hatfield in Wellesley, Ma.

Habit and Form

• evergreen
• medium-sized tree or large shrub
• depending on cultivar can also be dwarfed
• size varies from 2' to 20'; depending on cultivar
• growth characteristics vary widely between cultivars
• medium texture
• slow growth rate

Summer Foliage

• needle like leaves
• two-ranked
• blunt bud scales
• dark green color on upperside
• light to medium green on underside
• needles can be straight or curved
• leave apex is pointed

Autumn Foliage

• none, evergreen
• some winter discoloration occurs

Flowers

• dioecious
• form on previous years wood
• blooms in March and April
• ornamentally unimportant

Fruit

• slightly compressed, olive-brown seed
• seed is covered by a red aril
• mildly attractive

Bark

• scaly, flaky brown bark
• usually covered by foliage

Culture

• easily transplanted from B&B or container
• prefers moist, sandy, slightly acidic soil
• prefers well-drained soil
• sun or shade

Landscape Use

• foundation plantings
• mass or groupings
• hedge
• screen

Liabilities

• over used
• keep out of windswept sites, discoloration can occur
• needle or twig blight
• scale
• nematodes

ID Features

• two-ranked needles
• red aril covering seed
• scaly bark
• usually massively pruned
• blunt bud scales
• pointed leaf apex

Propagation

• cultivars; by cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

'Bean Pole' - This novely form grows as a green pillar 8' tall and only 8" wide after many years.

'Brownii' - This form is commly grown and features a rounded form that is wider than tall. It can grow 6'-9' tall and 12' wide, but it is easily pruned to any size as a hedge or barrier. The leaves are dark green.

'Chadwickii' - This is a low, spreading form to 4' tall and 6' wide that bears glossy green leaves that tolerate winter well.

'Densiformis' - A landscape staple, this popular dense shrubby form grows twice as wide as tall (to 4' tall and 8' wide). The plant accepts shearing very well. Its needles are bright green, bronzing slightly in winter.

'Hatfieldii' - An older form that is still produced, this plant naturally grows very large into a dense, broad pyramid. The needles are dark green. While this plant has the potential to reach 30' tall and 20' wide, it is often pruned to a lower stature.

'Hicksii' - A popular hedging plant originally selected by Henry Hicks of Hicks Nurseries, Inc. in Westbury, NY, this cultivar is upright-columnar in form. The glossy dark needles are borne on a plant that grows to 20' tall and 12' wide with great age, though the plant is usually pruned and not allowed to grow free-form. It is considered a good substitute for the popular Irish yew (Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata'), which is not well-suited to New England.

'Sentinalis' (also listed as 'Sentinal') - This is a very rigid, formal narrow-growing plant that reaches only 8' tall and 2' wide.

'Tauntonii' (also listed as 'Taunton') - A very useful and adaptable plant, this selection forms a spreading-rounded shrub to 4' tall and 6' wide. The foliage resists damage during the winter, plus this selection can be grown successfully in all areas of New England and beyond.

'Viridis' - A fresh evergreen accent for the landscape, this plant offers bright light yellow-green foliage on a compact, narrow-upright form (to 12' tall and 2' wide).

'Wardii' - This plant is notable for its low, spreading habit that grows to 6' tall and 20' wide with great age. The foliage is dark green on this slow-growing form.