Abstract: The present study examined time and space variation of paclitaxel content in needles, stems, pulp and seeds of Taxus cuspidata by use of ODS-C18 RP-HPLC; this article describes the accumulation and metabolism of paclitaxel in T. cuspidata. Although paclitaxel was in all of four organs of T. cuspidata, its level was highest during development and differed among organs. Maximal fresh-weight paclitaxel content was 0.043 mg.g-1 in seeds in October, and minimal content was 0.001 mg.g-1 in pulp in November. Needles and stems showed a similar pattern of paclitaxel content: the maximal content in needles and stems was 0.032 mg.g-1 and 0.029 mg.g-1,respectively, in July, and the content decreased to 0.011 mg.g-1 and 0.010 mg.g-1, respectively, in August. During growth, the content in the old needles and stems was approximately 2.5-fold that in young needles and stems.