A small evergreen conifer (sometimes appearing as a shrub),[4] the Pacific yew grows to 10–15 metres (33–49 feet) tall and with a trunk up to 50 centimetres (20 inches) in diameter, rarely more.

The tree is extremely slow growing, and has a habit of rotting from the inside, creating hollow forms.

Often damaged by succession of the forest, it usually ends up in a squat, multiple-leader form, able to grow new sprouts from decapitated stumps.

[4] The leaves are lanceolate, flat, dark green, 1–3 cm (3⁄8–1+3⁄16 in) long[4] and 2–3 millimetres (3⁄32–1⁄8 in) broad, arranged spirally on the stem, but with the leaf bases twisted to align the leaves in two flat rows either side of the stem except on erect leading shoots where the spiral arrangement is more obvious.

The seed cones are highly modified, each cone containing a single seed 4–7 mm (3⁄16–1⁄4 in) long partly surrounded by a modified scale which develops into a soft, bright red berry-like structure called an aril,[4] 8–15 mm (5⁄16–9⁄16 in) long and wide and open at the end.

Unlike the typical variety, thicket yew grows in abundance on open sunny avalanche shoots or ravines as well as in the forest understory.

speciosa, which occurs with the typical variety in southern China in 10 of 13 provinces, was rejected for the lack of a "geographic reason" for recognition[8] though it appears genetically distinct.

[13] The epithet, polychaeta, is in reference to the primary shoot resembling a polychaete worm; hence, its common name 'worm cone yew'.

[24] Traditionally, the resilient and rot-resistant wood was used by Native Americans to make tools, bows (backed with sinew), arrows, and canoe paddles.

[4] Other purposes for yew included making harpoons, fishhooks, wedges, clubs, spoons, drums, snowshoes, and arrowheads.

[26] Modern-day longbow makers report that a very small percentage of yew trees are of a grain suitable for their craft.

[4] The berry is said to have a sweet taste but slimy texture, while the leaves, bark and seed are extremely poisonous and should not be consumed.

[27] The chemotherapy drug paclitaxel (taxol), used in breast, ovarian, and lung cancer treatment, can be derived from T. brevifolia[28] and other species of yew.