BUXUS 



Buxus, Linnseus, Syst. Nat. 9 (1735), Gen. PI. 284 (1737), and Sp. PL 983 (1753); Baillon, 

 Monog. Buxac. 58 (1859); Muller, in De Candolle, Prod. xvi. pt. i. p. 13 (1869); Bentham et 

 Hooker, Gen. PL iii. 266 (1880) ; Pax, in Engler and Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. iii. 5, p. 133 

 (1892); Van Tieghem, in Ann. Sri. Nat. v. 289 (1897); Hutchinson, in Kew Bulletin, 1912, 

 P- 5 2 - 



Evergreen trees or shrubs belonging to the family Buxaceae. Young branchlets 

 quadrangular. Leaves opposite, coriaceous, simple, entire, penninerved, shortly 

 stalked, without stipules. Flowers monoecious, without petals, in axillary clusters, 

 which are composed of several staminate flowers, and usually a central single pistillate 

 flower. Staminate flower : sepals four, in two opposite pairs ; stamens four, each oppo- 

 site a sepal, with a thick filament inserted beneath the rudimentary ovary, and with 

 a two-celled anther, which dehisces longitudinally. Pistillate flower ; sepals four to 

 seven, occasionally ten, some of which may represent bracts, imbricated ; ovary free, 

 three-celled, crowned by three peripheral styles ; ovules, two in each cell. Fruit, 1 a 

 capsule, crowned by the three persistent styles, three-celled, each cell containing two 

 seeds, or occasionally only one by abortion ; capsule, when ripe, splitting longitudinally, 

 through the three styles and the dorsal sutures, thus producing three two-horned 

 valves ; the endocarp afterwards opens down six lines, suddenly expelling the seeds, 

 which are trigonous, shining, black, and smooth. 



The above description is restricted to the section Eu-buxus of the genus, 2 

 which comprises about ten species, two, natives of tropical Africa and Socotra, and 

 about eight species, natives of the Mediterranean region, Caucasus, Persia, Hima- 

 layas, China, and Japan. The following synopsis briefly deals with those which are 

 in cultivation : 



I. Branchlets glabrous, or occasionally with a few minute hairs near the nodes. 



1. Buxus japonica, Muller, in De Candolle, Prod. xvi. I, p. 20 (1869); Shirasawa, 

 Icon. Ess. Forest. Japon, ii. t. 38, figs. 16-32 (1908). 



Buxus sempervirens, Linnseus, var. japonica, Makino, in Tokyo Bot. Mag. ix. 281 (1895), an d xv - 

 169 (1901); Hayata, mjourn. Coll. Sri. Tokyo, xx. 3, p. 82, t. vi. c. (1904). 



A shrub or small tree, with glabrous branchlets. Leaves coriaceous, very 

 similar to those of B. sempervirens in size and appearance, but usually more oval and 

 occasionally almost orbicular, f to 1 in. long and in. broad, emarginate and rounded 



Cf. Marshall Ward, Trees, iv. 154, fig- '47 (i98). 



2 The other sections of the genus, which are sometimes regarded as distinct genera, are Buxella, which includes four 

 species, natives of Madagascar, tropical and south Africa ; and Tricera, comprising about a dozen species, natives of the West 

 Indies. 



1721 



