Description
Sarcocca – Christmas Box – Sweet Box –
There are 16-20 slow growing, monoecious, evergreen, sometimes rhizomatous shrub, within the Buxaceae family, in this genus. They are found naturally occurring in moist, shady places, forest, and thickets in Eastern and Southeastern Asia. They are grown for their foliage, usually fragrant flowers, and conspicuous red or black drupe of fruits containing 1-3 seeds. The deep green leaves are mainly alternate lance to elliptical. Tiny, sweety fragrant, petalless, white or whitish green male and female flowers, 1/4″ long, are borne in small clusters or spikes in the leaf axils. The male flowers have conspicuous anthers, the females are borne below the males in the inflorescence. Grow as groundcover in a shade garden, or use as a low, informal hedge.
Grow in neutral to slightly alkaline, moderately fertile, humus rich, moist, well drained soil in deep or partial shade. Full sun is tolerated if soil remains moist, otherwise, the leaves will go off color and the plant will loose vigor. Tolerates neglect and air pollution.
S. confusa – This dense, evergreen, rounded, bushy shrub with multiple basal, green branches is found in Western China and may be a natural hybrid, it slowly grows to 6-7′ tall and 3-7′ feet wide. It produces elliptical to lance , pointed, shiny, dark green leaves, 1 ½-2 ½” long with pale undersides. In early spring, it bears clusters of about 5 very fragrant white flowers are borne. In late fall it bears bright red, spherical berries, which ripen to a shiny black, and are 1/4″ across.
Zones 6-9
