Boxleaf azara is a small evergreen tree or large shrub from Chile and Argentina, grown for its tiny, shiny, dark green leaves and fragrant winter flowers. It is the hardiest azara and copes well with shade, but needs shelter from cold winds in cooler areas.
Family
Salicaceae (Willow family)
Grows as
Tree, Shrub
Light
Shade
Water
Water regularly while establishing, then as needed once established; avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Moist, well-drained, fertile soil or loam-based mix.
Temperature
Hardy to about -15 °C; shelter from cold winds in cooler temperate regions.
How easy
Easy
Native range
C. & S. Chile to S. Argentina
Climate
temperate
About
Azara microphylla, the boxleaf azara, is a species of flowering plant in the willow family Salicaceae, native to Chile and Argentina. Growing to 10 metres (33 ft), it is a small, upright, evergreen tree or large shrub. It has small, shiny, very dark green leaves and tiny, vanilla-scented flowers in winter. It is the hardiest of the azaras, withstanding temperatures down to −15 °C (5 °F), but in cooler temperate regions requires some protection from cold winds. It also tolerates full shade.
The specific epithet microphylla means "small-leaved". The leaves are no more than 2.5 cm (1 in) long.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Azara microphylla by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.