Buxus 



1725 



wild in Algeria ; and is commonly shrubby. An upright tall-growing form of this is 

 known as var. salicifolia elata. 



2. Var. myrtifolia, Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. 1333 (1838). 



Buxus myrtifolia, Lamarck, Encyc. Meth. i. 511 (1783). 



Leaves dark green, oblong-lanceolate, smaller than in the last variety, about f in. 

 long and \ in. wide. This is a low shrub, which was described by Lamarck, from 

 specimens obtained from M. Cels' nursery at Paris, where it probably originated. 



3. Var. myosotifolia, Dallimore, Holly, Yew, and Box, 227 (1908). 



Leaves resembling those of var. myrtifolia, but still smaller, about \ in. long 

 and \ in. broad, lanceolate, dark green. This is a dwarf shrub. 



4. Var. rosmarinifolia, Baillon, Monog. Buxac. 61 (1859). 



Leaves lanceolate or spatulate, more slender and thinner in texture than the last 

 variety, about \ in. long and -^ in. wide, marked beneath with whitish dots and 

 tubercles. This variety, which is also known as var. thymifolia, grows to be a bush 

 5 or 6 ft. high. 



5. Var. suffruticosa, Linnaeus, Sp. PI. 983 (1753). 

 Buxus suffruticosa. Miller, Gard. Diet. ed. viii. No. 3 (1768). 



Leaves oval or obovate, ^ in. long and |- in. wide. This is the well-known 

 dwarf variety, which is used for edging beds in gardens. It has been in cultivation 

 for several centuries at least, and is occasionally called var. nana or var. humilis. 



6. Var. latifolia, Dallimore, Holly, Yew, and Box, 226 (1908). 



Under this name are included several forms, in which the leaves are broader 

 than usual, averaging i in. long and f in. wide. In var. latifolia bullata, Spath, the 

 leaves are uneven with peculiar swellings. Var. kandswortkensis, Fisher, with 

 broadly oval leaves, is vigorous in growth, and suitable for making hedges. 



7. A considerable number of variegated forms are in cultivation. Those with 

 leaves normal in size, or nearly so, are : — Var. argentea or var. argenteo-marginata, 

 leaves white in margin ; var. aureo-marginata, leaves yellow in margin ; and var. 

 aureo-maculata, leaves spotted with yellow. Var. elegantissima, Koch, Dendrologie, 

 ii. pt. i. 477 (1872), is a distinct form with small oval leaves, variegated with white, 

 and with many of the leaves deformed. 



8. Vax.pendula, Simon-Louis, Cat. 1869, p. 21. Tree-like in habit, and graceful 

 in outline, the secondary branches and branchlets being pendulous. 



9. Var. pyramidalis, Simon-Louis, Cat. 1869, p. 21. Pyramidal in habit, with 

 upright branches. 



Distribution 



The common box is a native of western Europe, the Mediterranean region^ 

 the Caucasus, and northern Persia. It is probably a true native of England ; and in 

 the south and east of France ^ is widely spread in the Jura, Dauphin^, Languedoc, 



' Chatin, in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, viii. 364 (1861), considers the box to be naturalised in many localities in France, 

 which are mainly in the neighbourhood of abbeys and castles that date from the middle ages. He mentions the forest of 

 Marly, Vaux-de-Cernay, Neauphle-le-Chiteau, Arthieul near Magny, Roche-Guyon, Chantilly, Nemours, Provins, and 

 Jaux near Compifegne. He adds that it is abundant on the millstone grits and sandstones of Vaux-de-Cemay, near Paris, 

 and on granite at Mauves-sur-Loire. 



VII L 



