204 
of a bitter taste and sudorific properties, now 
known to chemists under the name of buxinia. 
It was formerly used instead of guiacum, as a su- 
dorific in rheumatism; but is now seldom or 
never prescribed. An oil obtainable from the 
root was formerly used as a remedy for tooth- 
ache; but was superseded first partially by other 
essential oils and by pungent tinctures, and next 
wholly by creosote. Olivier de Serres recom- 
mends the leaves and branches of boxwood as by 
far the best manure for the vine, both because it 
is very common in some vinous countries, and 
because it yields by decay an unparalleledly large 
quantity of vegetable mould. 
Though the common box is regarded as but 
one species, it comprises several permanent and 
rather widely different varieties, and also an 
| undetermined number of subvarieties or of fluc- 
tuating and slightly defined varieties. The broad- 
leaved common box may be regarded as the nor- 
mal Luxus sempervirens ; and, as its name im- 
plies, is characterized by the breadth and large- 
nessofitsleaves. It assumes a tree-like character, 
and, though usually attaining a height of only 
about 8 feet, it rises, under good culture, to the 
height of 15 or 20 feet. Its branches have a yel- 
lowish hue; and its leaves are smooth and shin- 
ing, and grow in naturally opposite pairs.—The 
narrow-leaved box, Buxus angustifolia, comprises 
several subvarieties, which differ from one ano- 
ther chiefly in the size of their leaves. The 
smallest-leaved subvariety may be viewed as the 
normal one; and this is of rather lower growth, 
and has more numerous and slender branches, 
than the broad-leaved box. It naturally forms 
itself into a regular head, and assumes an air of 
slenderness and delicacy. Its leaves are very 
small and narrow, not so shining as those of the 
broad-leaved box, but far more numerous.—The 
variegated box comprises two distinct subva- 
 rieties, the gold-striped and the silver-striped. 
| These are usually regarded as mere variegations 
of the broad-leaved box; but they differ from it, 
not only in the stripedness of their leaves, but 
also in their manner of growth, and in the deli- 
cacy of their configuration. Though quite as tall 
as the common box, their branches are weaker 
and more slender, and, in many instances, assume 
a pendulous character, while those of the common 
box are always straight and upright. Both the 
variegation of the leaves, and the greater delicacy 
of conformation, render these subvarieties parti- 
cular favourites in shrubberies and mixed gar- 
dens.—The gold-edged variety considerably re- 
sembles the broad-leaved in robustness and gene- 
ral outline; its branches are strong and upright, 
and have a less green or more yellowish bark 
than those of the broad-leaved box ; and its leaves 
are tipped or edged with yellow.—The curl-leaved 
striped box takes its name from the circumstance 
of its leaves being a little waved. Itis both a 
distinct and a rare variety, has a rather lower 
growth than the broad-leaved box, acquires a 
BOX-TREE. 
luscious appearance from the curliness and vari- 
egation of its leaves, and has justly been pro- 
nounced pleasing, truly beautiful, and very ele- 
gant.—The dwarf or subshrubby box, Buxus sem- 
pervirens suffruticosa, is the universally known 
variety which forms so exquisite and so generally 
used an edging for garden beds and borders. It 
is simply but unconquerably distinguished by its 
mere dwarfishness ; for it seldom attains a height 
of more than about 12 or 15 inches, and cannot, 
by any known application of culture, be either 
forced or coaxed out of its dwarfish habit. 
The balearic box, Bucus balearica, grows wild 
in the islands and on the shores of the Mediter- 
ranean, and was introduced to Great Britain 
from Minorca in 1780. It attains about the same 
height as the normal variety of the common box, | 
but differs considerably from it im appearance. 
Its timber is coarser and of a brighter yellow 
colour than that of the common box; and is be- 
lieved to constitute the inferior kinds of boxwood 
timber imported to England from Turkey.—The 
Chinese-box, Buxus chinensis, was introduced 
from China in 1802. It requires greenhouse 
protection, and never rises to one-half the height | 
of the common box.—The southern box, Buzus | 
australis, was introduced from New Holland in 
1820. It also is a greenhouse plant, but it attains 
about double the height of the Chinese box. 
The several species and the permanent varieties 
of box may be propagated from seeds; and when 
thus raised, and afterwards properly cultivated, | 
will attain their maximum size. 
The seeds | 
should be gathered when just ripe, and ready to | 
burst out of their cells ; and should, soon after- 
wards, be sown about half an inch deep, in a bed 
of light sandy earth. The young plants ought 
to appear next spring, but sometimes will not 
appear till next again; and, in the latter case, — 
the seed-bed ought to be kept free from weeds, — 
and to be gently watered in dry weather. Young 
plants require also to be occasionally watered — 
during the summer after they come up; and they 
ought to remain two or three years in the seed-bed 
before being removed to the nursery.—All the 
kinds of box except the dwarf may be propagated 
from cuttings. The cuttings ought to be about 
a foot in length, of one year and two years wood, | 
—if possible slips of one year with knees of two 
years; they ought to be inserted half their length | 
in the ground, at distances of four inches from | 
one another; and they may be planted during any 
moist open weather of winter, but succeed best | 
when planted immediately after the first autum- | 
nal rains. They ought to stand till about the 
third year, to be transplanted to the nursery | 
during any open weather between August and 
April, and to be placed in nursery rows at two 
feet from row to row and one foot from plant to 
plant.—Many plants of most kinds of box propa- 
gate themselves by layering ; for whether borne 
down by the weight of their own foliage, or over- 
powered by a fall and lodgment of snow, they 
