Myrtle boxleaf, known also as false box, goatbrush, mountain- 

 lover, myrtlebush, and Oregon boxwood, is the only species of Pachis- 

 tima native in the West. The only other species of this North Amer- 

 ican genus of the bittersweet, or staff-tree family (Celastraceae) is 

 Canby boxleaf (P. can'byi), which occurs on steep, rocky slopes in 

 the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, Virginia, and West 

 Virginia, and in parts of neighboring Ohio. Pachistima is the orig- 

 inal spelling of the genus name by its founder, the eccentric Con- 

 stantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (1783-1840), and is the form 

 approved by the American Joint Committee on Horticultural Nomen- 

 clature. 1 The name is obviously a corruption of the Greek words 

 pachys (thick) and stigma (mark; hence, stigma). 



The specific name myrsinites, signifying like myrtle, refers to a 

 resemblance to true myrtle (Myrtus communis) of the Old World. 



Myrtle boxleaf ranges from British Columbia to California, New 

 Mexico, and Alberta and occurs principally in the ponderosa pine, 

 lodgepole pine, and Engelmann spruce belts. In general, this species 

 is characteristic of moist or fairly moist, sandy or gravelly loam 

 soils on northern slopes in open coniferous timber. However, it is 

 often found in aspen and among shrubs, but rarely in the open; the 

 species also occurs on drier sites, growing on all slopes. In the 

 Northwest, it appears mainly at altitudes between 2,000 and 4,500 

 feet and is one of the characteristic shrubs of the heavy Douglas fir 

 and mixed coniferous forests of the coast region. It is most common 

 in Utah, Colorado, northern Arizona, and New Mexico at elevations 

 of from 6,000 to 9,000 feet. 2 However, on shady northern slopes, it 

 sometimes grows at much lower elevations. 



Myrtle boxleaf is usually unpalatable to livestock and is important 

 chiefly because it is so widely distributed and abundant. Under cer- 

 tain conditions, when a shortage of other forage prevails, as along 

 driveways, this plant may be browsed by cattle and sheep. Deer and 

 elk utilize it extensively on some of the heavily stocked summer and 

 winter game ranges in the Northwest, even the older stems being 

 closely cropped, although heavy use is largely restricted to the 

 winter. Report is to the effect that excessive browsing of this plant 

 by sheep will cause illness. However, no research has been initiated 

 to determine if this species actually contains toxic principles. The 

 plant has some repute in Oregon as a remedy for kidney and rheu- 

 matic disorders, and undoubtedly an investigation of its chemical 

 properties would be advantageous. 



The boxleafs are hardy, handsome dwarf evergreens suitable for 

 planting in rockeries or on rocky slopes, and as borders for ever- 

 green shrubberies. These plants grow in almost any well-drained 

 soil and may be propagated by seed, layering, or by cuttings. 3 



1 American Joint Committee on Horticultural Nomenclature. STANDARDIZED PLANT 

 NAMES . . . Prepared by F. L. Olmsted, F. V. Coville, and H. P. Kelsey. 546 pp. 

 Salem, Mass. 1923. 



2 Dayton, W. A. IMPORTANT WESTERN BROWSE PLANTS. U. S. Dept. Agr. Misc. Pub. 

 101, 214 pp., illus. 1931. 



3 Bailey, L. H. THE STANDARD CYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE . . . New ed., 3 v., illus. 

 New York and London. 1933. 



