B UX 



B U X 



■lenffth, forming an upright umbel, surrounded 

 at bottom by an involucre of three withering 

 membranous sheaths ; besides a smaller stipule 

 to each peduncle: corolla handsome, near an 

 mch in breadth ; connnonly of a bright or pale 

 fiesh-colour, purple or rose-colour. It is a 

 native of most parts of Europe, and flowers in 

 June and July. 



There are varieties \\ith while flowers ; with 

 red flowers ; with deep purple flowers. 



Culture. — ^The propagation in this plant iseffect- 

 ed either by seed, or the roots. In the first mode 

 the seed may be sown thick, in any watery or 

 boo-ffv place, in the autumn, and left to nature. In 

 the'sccond method the roots should be removed 

 any time after flowering, and such as admit of 

 it, divided, planting tlTcm at once in the places 

 allotted them, where they flower annually for 

 a srcat length of time. 



These plants are very ornamental on the sides 

 of waters, or in soft boggy situations, in plea- 

 sure grounds. 



BUXUS, a genus containing plants of the 

 hardy evergreen kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Monoecia 

 Tetrcmdna, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Tricocar. 



The characters arc : that the male flowers are 

 prominent from the buds of the plant : the ca- 

 lyx is a three-leaved perianthium : leaflets round- 

 ish, obtuse, concave, and spreading : the corolla 

 consists of two roundish, concave petals, very 

 like the calyx, but larger : the stamina consist 

 of four subulate filaments, erect-expanding, 

 rather larger than the calyx: the anthers are 

 erect and twin : the pistillum is the rudiment of 

 a germ, without style or stigina. The females 

 inthesamebudwiththemales: thecalyx isa four- 

 leaved perianthium : Itailets roundish, obtuse, 

 concave, spreading: the corolla consists of three 

 roundish, concave petals, very like the calyx, 

 but larger: the pistillum is a superior germ, 

 roundish, obtusely three-cornered, ending in 

 three very short, permanent styles: the stigmas 

 obtuse, hispid: the pericarpium is a coriaceous, 

 roundish, three-beaked, three-celled capsule, 

 bursting elastically into three parts : the seeds 

 arc twin, oblong, rounded on one side, flat on 

 the other. 



There is only one species : B. sempervtrens, 

 Evergreen Tree Box. 



It is observed by Martyn, that Box, in its 

 dwarf state, is a well-known shrubby plant, 

 about three feet in height ; that when left to it- 

 self, it becomes a tree, twelve or fifteen feet 

 high, with a trunk equalling the human thigh in 

 thickness, covered with a rugged, grayish bark, 

 that of the branches yellowish. The wood is of 



a vfllow colour, of an even close grain, very^ 

 hard and ponderous. The leaves arc ovate or 

 oval in the common sort, hard, smooth, glossy, 

 evergreen, very dark green above, pale green 

 underneath, something resembling tho^e of 

 myrtle, but blunt and commonly cmarginate at 

 the end; the edges are revolute: they arc set on 

 verv short petioles, and on the twigs they come 

 out regularly in pairs, so close as almost to con- 

 ceal them. On these, from the axils of the 

 leaves, come out the small herbaceous flowers, 

 in round bunches ; a female flower occupying 

 the middle of the bunch, and being surrounded 

 by several males. It is a native of most parts 

 of Europe. 



There are varieties of Tree Box with broad 

 leaves, with narrow leaves, with silver-striped 

 leaves, with silver-edged leaves, with gold- 

 stripedleaves, with gold-edged lea^'es, with gold- 

 tipped leaves, with curled striped leaves : and of 

 the Dwarf shrubby kind there are sub-varieties, 

 with green leaves and with striped leaves. 



Culture. — This species and all the diflcrcnt va- 

 rieties of Box may be easily raised either by seeds, 

 layers, orcutthigs, though the two last are the 

 methods most commonly employed, and the only 

 ones for the variegated sorts, so as to continue 

 the different kinds with certainty. 



In the first mode the seed should be sown in 

 autunm, soon after it becomes ripe, in a border 

 of light earth, half an inch deep. The plants ap- 

 pear in spring, and are fit to plant out in the 

 nursery, in rows, in about two years afterwards. 

 They may be increased in the layer method any 

 time in the year ; but the spring is the most 

 eligible season, or in the autumn, as they will 

 be well rooted for planting out in the autumn 

 following. 



When raised by cuttings, they may be plant- 

 ed in autumn, or any time in the spring, but 

 the sooner the better ; for which purpose shoots 

 of one or two years' wood should be chosen 

 about six or eight inches long, and planted in a 

 shadv border "half way in the earth, and six 

 inches distant, water being freely given in dry- 

 weather. 



The Dwarf sort may be propagated very rea- 

 dily by off'-sets or suckers from the roots, which 

 may be parted any time from the autumn to the 

 sprino;, or even later. Those intended to be 

 trained as shrubs should be planted singly in 

 rows in the nursery a foot asunder ; biit when 

 intended for edgings, they may be planted close 

 to one another, in rows ; the slips with small root 

 fibres being chiefly made use of for the purpose. 



For the purpose of edgings, such plants as are 

 short and bushy are to be preferred, and those 

 whose roots are short and very fibrous. 



