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Taxus baccata
Dark green needles, berries are red and slimy, when crushed. The dark seed cone sits inside the opening of the fruit. The seed itself is extremely poisonous. The fruit can be eaten by birds to ensure dispersal of the seed. The soft red part of the fruit is edible for humans, too. However, unlike birds, the human stomach can break down the seed coat and release the poison into the body. So be careful to remove the seed first.
Deciduous woodland on calcareous soil, dominated by beech.
Spotted on Nov 30, 2011
Submitted on Nov 30, 2011
5 Comments
Thanks Craig, I didn't know that! I'll add it to the description.
Just to clarify, the fruit is also edible to humans and is rather tasty, if only a small morsal - just don't go anywhere near the seeds!
Thanks Harsha, added to "the forbidden fruit".
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Beautiful