Virtual Museum of Canada
Jardin botanique de Montréal 
Centre for Forest Research

The fruit of knowledge

Question 1 of 10: Identify which of these statements about the fruit of the yew is incorrect.

A
Its bright red color attracts many birds.
B
The yew belongs to the group of plants known as Gymnosperms, which produce "naked" seeds. In botanical terms, it does not bear fruits, but rather modified cones called arils that surround the seeds.
C
The fruit of the yew, with the exception of the seed, is its only edible part. In fact, the rest of the yew is infamous for being toxic to humans and livestock!
D
A cancer fighting molecule called Taxol, which is highly effective in combating breast, ovarian and lung cancer, is produced from the fruit of the yew.

Taxus sp.

© Jardin botanique de Montréal (Gilles Murray)