An Introduction to the Medicinal Value and Floral Characteristics of Boxwood

I. Source

Buxaceae [Buxus sinica Cheng (B. microphylla Sieb. et Zucc. var. Rehder & E. H. Wilson)]. Also known as Douban boxwood, Wulong wood, Gongzi boxwood, and mountain boxwood. Boxwood is native to Japan, and it is cultivated in all the central provinces of our country. In "Random Records of Bonsai," Su Ling grouped boxwood together with Caragana, winter jasmine, and rongzhen cypress, calling each of them one of the "Four Great Masters" among bonsai trees, while Ouyang described boxwood as "lofty, yet not a pine; graceful, yet like a cypress," and all these give high praise to the emerald green of boxwood.

II. Botanical Characteristics

A shrub, with a tree height of about 100 cm. The branches are dense, and the stems and branches are four-angled. The leaves are small and opposite, oblong to long obovate, with a rounded or notched apex, a wedge-shaped base, and the widest part above the middle of the leaf. The flower clusters are mostly terminal, and some are also axillary. It blooms in late March. The flowers are unisexual and lack petals. There are 4 male flowers. The stamens are longer than the sepals, among which there is one degenerate stamen equal in length to the sepals. The fruit is a capsule.

III. Ecological Characteristics

It likes sunlight and is relatively shade-tolerant and cold-tolerant. It requires half-moist soil for water and is not demanding about fertilizer. South of the Yellow River, it can be cultivated outdoors and overwinter, but new shoots that have not fully lignified sometimes freeze to death. It grows very slowly. The plant is short, generally not exceeding 200 cm. If the growing conditions are relatively good, those cultivated in the open ground can grow to 300 cm tall. Boxwood flowers have no obvious petals. Boxwood tolerates pruning, and once it has taken shape it is not easy to lose its form, and its tree vigor remains strong over a long time. At present, except in the Northeast, it is cultivated outdoors throughout the country. Boxwood grows well under semi-shaded conditions and has strong sprouting ability; usually one growing branch can produce 2-9 new shoots, with an average of 3-7, and the average growth per branch can reach about 6.5 cm.