My own staves I cut near Branscomb, Mendocino County, and at Grizzly
Creek on the Van Duzen River, Humboldt County, California. Splendid
staves have been shipped to me from this latter county, coming from the
neighborhood of Korbel.
Yew is an evergreen tree with a leaf looking a great deal like that of
redwood, hemlock, or fir at a distance. It is found growing in the
mountains, down narrow canyons, and along streams. It likes shade,
water, and altitude. Its bark is reddish beneath and scaly or fuzzy on
the surface. Its limbs stand straight out from the trunk at an acute
angle, not drooping as those of the redwood and fir.
The sexes are separate in yew. The female tree has a bright red
gelatinous berry in autumn, and the male a minute cone. It is
interesting that in bear countries the female trees often have long
wounds in the bark, or deep scratches made by the claws of these
animals as they climb to get the yew berries. It is also stated by some
authorities that the female yew has light yellow wood, is coarser
grained, and does not make so good a bow. I have tried to verify this,
but so far I have found some of my bear marked female yew to be the
better staves.
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