Taxus cuspidata ? (S. Korea)

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China North-Central, Japan, Korea, Kuril Is., Manchuria, Primorye, Sakhalin as per POWO;
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Taxus wallichiana Zucc. or Taxus contorta Griff. ??? : 9 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (3)
Location : Seoul, S. Korea
Altitude : 150 ft.
Date : 24 November, 2016

Both The Plant List and GRIN treat T. contorta Griff. as synonym of T. wallichiana.

Thank you …
Nepali Names: बर्मा सल्ला Barmaa Salla / भाम सल्ला Bhaam Salla / पाते सल्ला PaateSalla /  सिलांगी Silaangee / थिङ्ग्रे सल्ला Thingre Salla / लोठ सल्लो Lothasallo / तलिशपत्र Talishapatra  / थुनेर  Thuner
I do not have any reference books on Korean flora but do possess a copy of Ohwi’s massive ‘Flora of Japan’ (in English).  It (published in 1984) has the ‘Japanese Yew’ as Taxus cuspidata (syn. T.baccata subsp. cuspidata) with var. luteobaccata aril yellowish around a greenish seed; and var. nana which is much cultivated. The species is typically found growing in the mountains. I do not have any information on the up-to-date nomenclature for this tree but it is not mentioned as being found in Korea or China (if such a distribution existed it would have been mentioned in the Flora of Japan).
‘Flowers of the Himalaya’ had ‘Himalayan Yew’ as Taxus baccata subsp. wallichiana, as many will know, giving a distribution of Afghanistan to SW China, Myanamar & SE Asia & 2100-3400m.
Clearly, the specimen photographed in Seoul is a cultivated variety but is it the native species for Korea?   I do not know what this is?

In the UK we just have Taxus baccata.  I think it will be worthwhile to post some images of the British Yew for comparative purposes.  Can anyone tell me how Taxus wallichiana is separated from Taxus baccata?

A 2010 document

1. Which places T. wallichiana and T. baccata in two different species Groups largely separated on basis of epidermal cells and stomata.
2. Treats T. wallichiana (not in W. Himalayas) and T. contorta as distinct species, 
a. T. contorta var. contorta (leaves 12 or more times longer than broad, virgate, spreading by petiole, stomata 5-8(9-11) rows/bands; in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, W Nepal)
var. mucronata (leaves 5-10 times longer than broad, sharply bent (reflexed) at petiole, stomata 9-11 rows/bands) in Nepal, SW Tibet, Bhutan
Thank you for providing links to this information. Clearly, it will take a little time to meaningfully
digest the contents.  I had been aware that there had been strong disagreements about studies and
revisions of Conifers ……..  Taxonomists do not always agree and things can get decidedly ‘heated’.
We all continue have much to learn about so many genera.  I note the section about “Difficulties with the morphological species concept of Taxus“.
Thus not always possible to distinguish between species on the basis of a small number of photos – no matter how close-up they are or the level of detail which is practical with most cameras.  Or necessarily make sense

of conflicting information.

How about T. cuspidata, Native of Korea?

You may be right … May be some other member would validate

References: