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Buxus sempervirens L.

Common box (en), Buis sempervirent (fr), Buis toujours vert (fr), Buis commun (fr), Bois béni (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Buxales > Buxaceae > Buxus

Characteristics

Evergreen, much-branched, monoecious shrub or small tree up to 3-(8) m high. Shoots puberulent when young, becoming glabrous, 4-ridged. Lvs puberulent when young, becoming glabrous except near mid-vein, ovate or elliptic, retuse, obtuse at base and subsessile or very shortly petiolate, dark glossy green above, paler below, 15-30 mm long; lf margin entire, somewhat revolute. Racemes congested in lf axils, many-flowered, c. 5 mm diam.; ♂ fls with 4 stamens and 4 calyx segments; ♂ and ♀ fls bracteate. Capsule glabrous, ovoid-oblong, often veined, 6-10 mm long with 3 slightly divergent horns (remnants of styles); seeds ovoid-oblong, glossy black, 5-6 mm long.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality monoecy
Pollination entomogamy
Spread autochory endozoochory
Mature width (meter) 4.0 - 5.0
Mature height (meter) 4.0 - 5.0
Root system fibrous-root
Rooting depth (meter) 1.1
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Beechwood and scrub, usually on chalk and limestone.
Light 3-7
Soil humidity 2-7
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 5-9
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 6-8

Usage

Uses dye environmental use material medicinal ornamental poison timber wood
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use Adulterant (unspecified), Alterative (unspecified), Bilious (unspecified), Boil (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Cholagogue (unspecified), Depurative (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Hair-Tonic (unspecified), Labor (unspecified), Laxative (unspecified), Malaria (unspecified), Narcotic (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Rash (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Sedative (unspecified), Sudorific (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Heat (unspecified), Syphilis (unspecified)
Human toxicity strong toxic (whole)
Animal toxicity strong toxic (whole)

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) 21
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -23
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Buxus sempervirens habit picture by Céline Anthelme (cc-by-sa)
Buxus sempervirens habit picture by beurny (cc-by-sa)
Buxus sempervirens habit picture by Jaime Ghuetu (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Buxus sempervirens leaf picture by Gérard Courtot (cc-by-sa)
Buxus sempervirens leaf picture by mariko mcnamara (cc-by-sa)
Buxus sempervirens leaf picture by Jean-Michel Faton (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Buxus sempervirens flower picture by Sarami (cc-by-sa)
Buxus sempervirens flower picture by ORDUÑA Jose Maria (cc-by-sa)
Buxus sempervirens flower picture by FREDERIC FAURE (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Buxus sempervirens fruit picture by navanuatu (cc-by-sa)
Buxus sempervirens fruit picture by Patrick Nard (cc-by-sa)
Buxus sempervirens fruit picture by marijo (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Buxus sempervirens world distribution map, present in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Switzerland, Germany, Algeria, Ecuador, Spain, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Georgia, Greece, Croatia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Morocco, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkmenistan, Taiwan, Province of China, United States of America, Uzbekistan, and South Africa

Conservation status

Buxus sempervirens threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:340317-1
WFO ID wfo-0000576626
COL ID 5X65N
BDTFX ID 11691
INPN ID 87143
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Buxus angustifolia Buxus caucasica Buxus elegantissima Buxus macrophylla Buxus myrtifolia Buxus sempervirens Buxus suffruticosa Buxus arborescens Buxus argentea Buxus aurea Buxus colchica Buxus hyrcana Buxus marginata Buxus salicifolia Buxus vulgaris Buxus fruticosa Buxus mucronata Buxus rosmarinifolia Buxus tenuifolia Buxus variegata Buxus sempervirens var. angustifolia Buxus sempervirens var. arborescens Buxus sempervirens var. grandifolia Buxus sempervirens subsp. hyrcana Buxus sempervirens var. myrtifolia Buxus sempervirens var. rosmarinifolium Buxus sempervirens var. rotundifolia Buxus sempervirens var. suffruticosa Buxus crispa Buxus cucullata Buxus handsworthii
WorldFloraDB 2024