EVERGREEN TREES AND SHRUBS. 
585 
The Madron a of the Mexicans, or Arbutus menziesii, is 
described in the report of the Pacific Railroad survey as follows: 
“ A small tree twenty-five to thirty feet high, twelve inches diameter 
at the base. Found on the Willamette, Oregon, and ranges north of 
the Columbia, and is there called the laurel. The large, thick, and 
shining leaves, the smooth and colored bark, give this tree a tropical 
look, recalling the Magnolia grandiflora in its general aspect. The 
berries are red and resemble morello cherries. When ripe they are 
quite ornamental, and, together with the rich foliage, flowers, and 
colored bark, renders it one of the handsomest trees I saw.” It 
seems as if this ought to be hardy in our middle States, but we 
have not heard that it has been acclimated on this side the Rocky 
Mountains. It is described by a recent writer as the most beauti¬ 
ful small tree of the Pacific slope. 
THE BOXWOOD. Buxus. 
This beautiful family of evergreens includes small trees as well 
as shrubs, but is best known by the shrubby boxwood used in old 
gardens to form borders for walks. There is no other evergreen so 
dwarfish, delicate, and beautiful, and which is so facile under the 
shears or the pruning-knife to shape into any desired form of ver¬ 
dant sculpture, for which its size adapts it. The dwarf-box is used 
for edgings, and the larger sorts, called tree-box, are only varieties 
of the same species, distinguished as follows : 
The Evergreen Tree-box, Buxus sempervirens, is a native of 
many parts of Europe, found in a natural state as an under-growth 
among other trees. It becomes a tree from twelve to twenty feet 
in height, growing very slowly, and attaining great age. When 
grown without clipping, it does not form so dense a surface of 
foliage as the dwarf-box exhibits, and the greatest beauty is there¬ 
fore obtained by keeping it within less than the maximum dimen¬ 
sions. Grown in open, sunny situations, the foliage is a warm, 
yellowish-green color ; but in partial shade, and in the cool, deep 
soils, which are most congenial to the species, the color is a deep, 
glossy green. 
