Buxus sempervirens
Object Details
- Description
- In the wild, boxwoods grow in open, rocky areas, can grow as large as small trees, and are characteristic shrubs of sub-Mediterranean Europe. In cultivation, boxwoods are most often found planted as hedges, or painstakingly trimmed into topiary shapes. In ideal conditions, they can live anywhere from 70-150 years.
- Hardiness
- -20 - 20 F
- Bloom Time
- April-May
- Ethnobotanical Uses
- Historically, the wood was popular for carving, and making into boxes and musical instruments.
- Medicinal / Pharmaceutical
- Historically, boxwood has been used as a sedative and as treatments for syphilis, rheumatism, epilepsy and malaria. Currently, it is being studied as a treatment for Alzheimer's.
- Provenance
- From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
- Range
- Europe to N Iran, N Africa
- Habitat
- Forest, shrubland, rocky areas; 65-6560ft (20-2000m)
- Topic
- Display Gardens
- Living Collections
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Gardens Display Collection
- On Display
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Data Source
- Smithsonian Gardens
- Accession Number
- 2021-0517A
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Common Name
- Common boxwood
- European boxwood
- Group
- [vascular plants]
- Class
- Equisetopsida
- Subclass
- Magnoliidae
- Superorder
- Buxanae
- Order
- Buxales
- Family
- Buxaceae
- Genus
- Buxus
- Species
- sempervirens
- Life Form
- Evergreen shrub/sub-shrub
- Bark Characteristics
- Brown with wings on young stems
- Bloom Characteristics
- Inconspicuous flowers do not have petals and are pale green to yellow.
- Foliage Characteristics
- Elliptic to oval leaves, are simple, opposite, smooth margined, and glossy green. .5-1.5" (1.27-3.8 cm) long.
- Fruit Characteristics
- Brown capsule which dehisces when ripe. .33" (.83 cm) across.
- Plant Size
- 5-15' tall by 5-15' wide (1.5-4.5 x 1.5-4.5 meters)
- Structure
- Round
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
- Record ID
- ofeo-sg_2021-0517A
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