276 BURSARIA-- BUXUS 



BURS ARIA SPIN OS A, Cavanilles. PITTOSPORACE^:. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 1767.) 



An evergreen, glabrous shrub, 4 to 8 ft. high, with both spiny and 

 unarmed branches. Leaves alternate, obovate, f to ij ins. long, 

 -r to f in. wide ; notched or rounded at the apex, tapering towards the 

 base, but scarcely stalked. Flowers produced in panicles that terminate 

 the twigs towards the end of the branch, and vary in size according 

 to the strength of the shoot that bears them, the largest 5 or 6 ins. high 

 by 3 to 4 ins. through ; each flower is about J in. across, with narrow, 

 white petals. Although the individual flower is so small, the entire bush 

 makes a pretty display when in bloom, on account of its profusion. The 

 fruit is a dry, flat, pouch-like capsule about J in. across, reddish brown, 

 resembling in shape that of common shepherd's purse. 



Native of New South Wales, and only suitable for the milder parts of 

 the British Isles. In the garden of Canon Ellacombe at Bitton, near 

 Bristol, it thrives exceedingly well against a wall, flowering during August, 

 when but few other shrubs are in bloom. The great crop of reddish 

 fruits is also decidedly striking. The generic name refers to their shape. 

 This shrub can be increased by cuttings made of half-ripened wood 

 placed in gentle heat. 



BUXUS. Box. EUPHORBIACE^:. 



Evergreen shrubs or trees, of which about twenty species are known, 

 inhabiting all three continents of the Old World. The leaves are 

 opposite, not toothed or lobed, leathery in texture, easily separated into 

 two layers. Flowers unisexual, small and inconspicuous, produced in 

 short dense clusters in the leaf-axils in spring, the males and females in 

 the same cluster, the former the more numerous. They have no petals ; 

 but the male has four sepals and four stamens, the female six sepals and 

 three pistils. Fruit a three-celled capsule, each valve two-horned; seeds 

 black and shining. Wood of hard, bony texture. 



The boxes succeed in almost any soil, and are often found wild on 

 a limestone formation. They are useful for semi-shaded positions. 

 Cuttings of all the cultivated species and varieties except B. Wallichiana 

 strike root freely. The most famous site of naturally grown box trees 

 in England is Box Hill, near Dorking ; but several other place-names 

 in England indicate a more extended habitat in former times. It has 

 been stated that ; 10,000 worth of box timber was taken from Box Hill 

 in 1815. 



B. BALEARICA, Lamarck. BALEARIC BOX. 



An evergreen shrub, or small tree up to 30 ft. high, densely branched ; 

 young stems square, and at first slightly downy. Leaves roundish oval to 

 ovate oblong ; | to ii ins. long, \ to f in. wide, wedge-shaped at the base, 

 usually notched at the apex (or the terminal leaves sometimes minutely 

 and abruptly pointed) ; thick and leathery, dark glossy green above, but 



