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Chinese Boxwood

Buxus sinica

Chinese Boxwood
Photo: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0

Chinese boxwood is a small evergreen shrub or tree from China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, grown mainly as a neat hedge or bonsai. It tolerates clipping well and is happiest in cool, moist, well-drained conditions with shade from hot afternoon sun.

Family
Buxaceae (Bux family)
Grows as
Tree, Shrub
Light
Part shade, Full sun
Water
Water regularly during establishment and in dry spells, letting the top of the soil dry slightly between waterings.
Soil
Moist, well-drained, slightly alkaline to neutral soil or loam-based mix.
Temperature
Hardy to about -20 °C; protect from hot, dry wind and prolonged heat above 30 °C.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic: All parts contain alkaloids such as cyclobuxine and buxamine, which can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten; the leaves are the most commonly ingested part.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
China to Temp. E. Asia
Climate
temperate

About

Buxus sinica, the Chinese box or small-leaved box, is a species of flowering plant in the family Buxaceae, native to central and southern China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. A shrub or small tree, in the wild it is found in a variety of habitats, usually from 600 to 2,600 m (2,000 to 8,500 ft) above sea level.

There are a number of cultivars, all derived from Buxus sinica var. insularis (syn. Buxus koreana), including 'Winter Gem', 'Green Gem', 'Justin Brouwers', 'Wintergreen', 'Chegu', 'Tall Boy', 'Tide Hill', 'Winter Beauty', 'Green Mountain', 'Pincushion', 'Filigree', 'Green Velvet', and 'Sunny‑side'. In addition to its use in hedging, it is used in bonsai.

Other Buxus plants

Littleleaf boxwood · Common box · Boxwood

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Buxus sinica 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.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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