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Buxus vahlii
Also called Vahl's Boxwood
Vahl's box is a rare shrub or small tree, up to about 5 m tall, native to Puerto Rico and St. Croix. It is an endangered species, so it is not commonly grown and little cultivation advice exists.
Buxus vahlii, or Vahl's boxwood, is a rare species of plant in the boxwood family. It is native to Puerto Rico and St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where it is known from no more than four populations in total. It has probably never been very common, but its distribution has been reduced by deforestation and other human disturbance of its habitat. At the time it was listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1985, it was thought to be endemic to Puerto Rico. Reports that it existed in Jamaica have not been confirmed. A few individuals have been located in St. Croix, some of which are within Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge.
This is a shrub or small tree which can reach 5 meters in height. The stem has two grooves below each node, an identifying characteristic. Clusters of flowers yield fruits which are horned capsules containing black seeds.
Buxus arborea · Balearic boxwood · Buxus citrifolia · Box · Harland's Boxwood · Buxus hildebrandtii · Liukiu Boxwood · Cape box · Littleleaf boxwood · Large-leaved box · Buxus nyasica · Buxus obtusifolia
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Buxus vahlii 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.
