﻿( 142 .) 



BU'XUS* * 



Linnean Class and Order. Moncr'cia f, Tetra'ndria. 



Natural Order. Euphorbia'ceas, Juss. — Lindl. Syn. p. 220. ; 

 Introd. to Nat. Syst. ofBot. p. 102. — Rich, by Macgilliv. p.539. — 

 Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 533. — Euphorbia, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 385. — 

 Sin. Gram, of Bot. p. 184. — Querneax.es; sect. Euphorbina:; 

 type, Euphorbiaceae ; subtype, Buxidas ; Burn. Outl. of Bot. pp. 

 523, 600, 602, & 610. — Tricoccje, Linn. 



Gen. Char. Flowers clustered, axillary. Barren Flowers [ figs. 

 1 & 2.). Calyx (see fig. 2.) of 3 roundish, blunt, concave, spread- 

 ing, coloured sepals. Corolla (see fig. 1 .) of 2 roundish, concave, 

 spreading petals, similar to the calyx, but rather larger. Filaments 

 4, awl-shaped, spreading, about the length of the petals. Anthers 

 (see fig. 1.) 2-lobed, incumbent. Rudiment of a Germen. Fertile 

 Flower (fig. 3.) from the same bud. Calyx inferior, of 4 roundish, 

 blunt, concave, spreading, permanent sepals. Corolla of 3 round- 

 ish, concave, petals, like the sepals, but larger. Germen superior, 

 nearly globular, with 3 blunt angles, or lobes. Styles (see fig. 3.) 3, 

 spreading, short, thick, permanent. Stigmas blunt, rough. Cap- 

 sule (fig. 4.) globular, with 3 spreading beaks, of 3 cells (fig. 5.), 

 and 3 valves (fig. 7.), bursting elastically. Seeds (fig. 3.) 2 in each 

 cell (see figs. 5 & 6), upright, parallel, oblong, slightly compressed ; 

 externally rounded. 



Distinguished from other genera, in the same class and order, 

 bv the barren flowers having a calyx of 3 sepals, a corolla of 2 

 petals, and the rudiment of a germen; and the fertile flower a calyx 

 of 4 sepals ; a corolla of 3 petals, 3 styles, and a capsule with 

 3 beaks, 3 cells, and 6 seeds. 



One species British. 



BU'XUS SEMPER VI'RENS. Common Box-tree. 



Spec. Char. Leaves egg-shaped, convex ; their footstalks hairy 

 at the edge. Anthers egg-arrow-shaped. 



Kngl. Hot. 1. 1341.— Linn. Sp. HI. p. 1394. — Huds. FI. A ngl. (2nd ed.) p. 417. 

 — Sm. FI. Hrit. v. iii. p. 1013. Kngl. FI. v. iv. p. 133. — With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 

 252.— Gray’s Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 262. — Hindi. Syn. p. 223. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 

 402. —Curt. Brit. Kntomol. v. viii. t. 339. — Bab FI. Bath. p. 44. — Bkxus. Ray’s 

 Syn. p. 445. — Johnson’s Ueiarde, p. 1410.— Hunt. Evelyn’s Silva, p. 376. 



Localities. — On dry chalky hills, in several parts of England. — Bedfordsh. 

 On the chalk hills near Dunstable, plentifully : Mr. Woodward. — Gloucester- 

 shire ; At Boxwell in Coteswold : Kay. — Kent; AtBoxley: Ray. — Somer- 

 setsh. Near Bath: Rev.C.C. Baiungmin. — Surrey; On Box-hill near Dork- 

 ing, plentifully : Ray. — Wilts; About Great Beilwyn: W. Bartlett, Esq. — 

 Yorksh. Hedges about Kilburne near Coxvvold : Rev. Archdeacon Pierson. 

 A Shrub or Tree. — Flowers in April. 



A very slow growing tree, but, if left to itself, attaining to the 

 height of from 12 to 20 feet. Leaves opposite, on very short, 



Fig. 1. A Barren Mower a little magnified. — Fig. 2. The same, natural size. — 

 Fig. 3. A Fertile Flower. — Fig. 4. A Capsule. — Fig. 5 The same, with the 

 upper part of the valves removed to show the Seeds. — Fig. 6. The Capsule cut 

 transversely. — Fig. 7. The Valves separated. — Fig. 8. A Seed. 



* Called by the Greeks puxas, from puca, Gr. dense, thick; but whether 

 the epithet was originally applied to the loliage, or to the compact nature of the 

 wood, may be questioned. Withering . — The Box is the badge of the Highland 

 clan Macintosh. The variegated kind marks the clan Macpiierson. Hooker. 



1 See Bryonia dioica, folio 83. 



