Taxaceae (/ t æ k ˈ s eɪ s i. iː,-ˌ aɪ /), commonly called the yew family, is a coniferous family which includes six extant and two extinct genera, and about 30 species of plants, or in older interpretations three genera and 7 to 12 species.

Taxaceae, the yew family, in the order Pinales, containing 6 genera and 30 species of evergreen trees and shrubs, distributed mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. The plants have many branches, covered with alternate, needlelike leaves.

Taxaceae are evergreen shrubs and trees, generally from about 2.5 m to 20.0 m in height. The leaves are arranged spirally, often appearing to be 2-ranked or opposite. The female cones are highly reduced, with just one seed.

Taxaceae is a family of coniferous plants belonging to the order Pinales, which includes other conifers such as pines, firs, and spruces. The family consists of a single genus, Taxus, which contains about 30 species of evergreen trees or shrubs.

The taxonomic classification of Taxus has been controversial because botanists view that Taxus seeds do not develop in cones, while they continue to include the genus and its family (Taxaceae) among the conifers in the order Coniferales.

The meaning of TAXACEAE is a family of mostly evergreen trees and shrubs (order Coniferales) distinguished from the Pinaceae by dioecious flowers, commonly fleshy fruit, and an embryo with but two cotyledons.

Taxaceae have been called the oldest living conifers and most recently they have connected with Ginkgo , Cephalotaxus and the Codaitales on account of the structure of the ovuliferous shoot of Taxus .

The Taxaceae, which currently has about four or five extant species, once had as many as twenty species. Today, the few genera seen include Taxus (the yews) , Austotaxus, Pseudotaxus, Torreya , and Amenotaxus .

Taxaceae: Life History and Ecology The distribution of the Taxaceae is very wide. Taxus is the common name for the Yews, widely distributed throughout the northern Temperate zones of the Old and New Worlds.

Family: Taxaceae — yew family Yews are cone-bearing evergreen shrubs or trees with scaly or deeply grooved bark. The leaves are scale-like. In some species, the leaves may appear to be arranged in two ranks. Individual plants may have pollen cones or seed cones, or both.