Page 40 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2016Q4

Friends, Creativity

An Interview with Massimo Bandera, Italy, on

By Joe Grande, Canada

Top row; Drawing showing the lthough many recognize nine species of yews, all yews are closely related to the generic Taxus
potential for the design of this baccata. One of its distinctive features is that all parts of the yew, but the berries, are toxic to humans
Taxus cuspidata, that features and animals. However, the seeds are as poisonous as the rest of the tree. The yew’s bark is used to
its magnificent deadwood. create an effective cancer-fighting drug which has led to the overharvesting of this unique organism
Massimo being assisted by Athat can live more than a thousand years. It is listed among 400 species of plants at risk of extinction
Antonio Jesús and observed because of their medicinal value. The yew’s importance to humans is epic. Before the invention of gunpowder,
by Gigi, co-owner of the tree. its strength and hardness made the yew as valuable as steel when it came to making instruments for war, defense
Massimo estimates the age
of this tree to be around 500 and hunting. Parishes in medieval England were required to grow yews, contained within fenced churchyards
years. because of their toxic properties, to provide material for making long bows. Stiff and strong, the yew is the time-
Bottom left and right; Front and honored wood for making bows. Its springy sapwood made the iconic English long bow a powerful weapon
back views of the tree before that guaranteed military supremacy in the middle ages. Even the Chalcolithic mummy, a well-preserved natural
styling work. mummy of a man who lived around 3,300 BCE, found in 1991 in the Italian alps, carried an unfinished bow

38 | BCI | October/November/December 2016