Buxus microphylla

Buxus microphylla, the Japanese box or littleleaf box, is a species of flowering plant in the box family found in Japan and Taiwan.[1] It is a dwarf evergreen shrub or small tree growing to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall and wide.

Buxus microphylla
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Buxales
Family: Buxaceae
Genus: Buxus
Species:
B. microphylla
Binomial name
Buxus microphylla

Description

In the case of Buxus microphylla var. japonica, the tree height is usually 1-3 m, but it can reach up to about 4 m; in rare cases it grows to 10 m. The trunk is upright and about 10 cm thick, and the bark is grayish white to pale brown.

The bright green leaves are 10–25 millimetres (0.39–0.98 in) long, oval with a rounded or notched tip.[2][3] The species was first described from Japanese cultivated plants of an unknown origin. They are unknown in the wild.

Taxonomy

The scientific name for Japanese box is Buxus microphylla var. japonica. Plants from Taiwan are distinguished as Buxus microphylla var. tarokoensis S.Y.Lu & Y.P.Yang.[4] Plants from China and Korea, formerly often cited as Buxus microphylla var. sinica, are now treated as a distinct species Buxus sinica.[5]

Uses

The species is grown as an ornamental plant, both in its native area and elsewhere in temperate regions around the world.[6] It is particularly suitable for topiary or low hedging. Buxus microphylla var. compacta (Kingsville dwarf boxwood) and similar cultivars are frequently used for bonsai.

The cultivar ‘Faulkner’ (1 metre (3.3 ft) tall by 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) broad) has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.[7]

In Japan, the wood of Buxus microphylla var. japonica can be used to make a hanko (seal).[8]

  • Fruit and foliage of a dwarf variety of Buxus microphylla ('Hohman's Dwarf')
  • Hanko made of Japanese box

References
  1. "Buxus microphylla". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved September 26, 2007.
  2. Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
  3. Bean, W. J. (1976). Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles 8th ed., vol. 1. John Murray ISBN 0-7195-1790-7.
  4. "Buxus microphylla var. tarokoensis". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved September 26, 2007.
  5. "Buxus microphylla var. sinica". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved September 26, 2007.
  6. Plants For A Future: Buxus microphylla Retrieved September 26, 2007.
  7. "RHS Plantfinder - Buxus microphylla 'Faulkner'". Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  8. https://www.inkan-takumi.com/service/material_tsuge.html (in Japanese) Inkan-takumi.com
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