Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

boxwood Buxaceae Buxus sempervirens L. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: BUSE2
Leaf: Opposite, simple, elliptical to oblong, entire margin, evergreen, 1/2 to 1 inch long, shiny dark green above, paler below where the midvein is light yellow. Foliage is very smelly.
Flower: Pale yellow, in tight round clusters in the leaf axils, 1/2 inch across, appearing in late spring.
Fruit: Dry, 3 parted capsule, 1/3 inch long, 3 small horns at the top, mature in late summer.
Twig: Slender, grooved or angled, green, buds are small.
Bark: Light brown and very finely grooved and furrowed, develops a very small square pattern.
Form: Large, round dense shrub with foliage to the ground; may reach 15 feet in height.
 Looks like: Japanese holly

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Additional Range Information: Buxus sempervirens is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information