Flora of New Zealand Series

box

Evergreen, much-branched, monoecious shrub or small tree up to 3-(8) m high. Shoots puberulent when young, becoming glabrous, 4-ridged. Lvs puberulent when young, becoming glabrous except near mid-vein, ovate or elliptic, retuse, obtuse at base and subsessile or very shortly petiolate, dark glossy green above, paler below, 15-30 mm long; lf margin entire, somewhat revolute. Racemes congested in lf axils, many-flowered, c. 5 mm diam.; ♂ fls with 4 stamens and 4 calyx segments; ♂ and ♀ fls bracteate. Capsule glabrous, ovoid-oblong, often veined, 6-10 mm long with 3 slightly divergent horns (remnants of styles); seeds ovoid-oblong, glossy black, 5-6 mm long.

N.: Kawau Id (Hauraki Gulf), Coromandel, Wellington Province; S.: Reefton, Akaroa, Killinchy (Canterbury).

S. and C. Europe, N. Africa, N. Iran 1940

Scrubland, forest margins, waste places, cemeteries.

FL Sep-Dec.

Poisonous (Connor 1977).

Box is only locally established as a garden escape. It is grown widely as a hedging plant and can be easily identified by its distinctive capsules (Fig. 46) and opposite lvs. B. balearica Lam. and variegated forms of B. sempervirens are also cultivated in N.Z. but not as yet naturalised.

Fig. 46. Capsule of Buxus sempervirens. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X55]