Boxus sempervirens

Buxus sempervirens L.

Buxus sempervirens

Buxus sempervirens, commonly known as the common box, European box, or boxwood, is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia. It grows 1 to 9 meters tall with a trunk up to 20 centimeters in diameter. The leaves are green to yellow-green, oval, and arranged in opposite pairs along the stems. The flowers are inconspicuous but highly scented, greenish-yellow, with no petals, and insect pollinated. The fruit is a three-lobed capsule containing 3-6 seeds.

Details

Order:

Buxales

Family:

Buxaceae

Genus:

Buxus

Chemistry:

Buxus sempervirens contains steroidal alkaloids such as cyclobuxine, flavonoids, and other compounds like chlorophyll, wax, resin, lignin, and minerals. The leaves contain alkaloids, oils, and tannin; the bark contains chlorophyll, wax, resin, lignin, and minerals; and the wood oil has medicinal properties.

Uses:

The plant is used for ornamental purposes, particularly in topiary and hedges due to its small leaves, evergreen nature, and tolerance of close shearing. Wood from Buxus sempervirens is very hard and heavy, making it ideal for cabinet-making, crafting of flutes and oboes, engraving, marquetry, woodturning, tool handles, mallet heads, and as a substitute for ivory. It is also used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments such as gout, urinary tract infections, intestinal worms, chronic skin problems, syphilis, hemorrhoids, epilepsy, headache, and piles. It has been used as a substitute for quinine to treat malaria but is rarely used today due to side effects and better alternatives. In Turkey, the leaves are consumed as tea for antihelminthic, diaphoretic, and cholagogue purposes. Additionally, the leaves have been used as an auburn hair dye.

Flowering time:

Spring

Sowing time:

Autumn

Plant height:

1 to 9 meters tall

Flower color:

Greenish-yellow

Suitable habitat:

Soils derived from chalk, limestone, usually as an understorey in forests of larger trees, most commonly associated with European beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests, but also sometimes in open dry montane scrub, particularly in the Mediterranean region.

Info

Pannon Flora Ltd. was founded on December 13, 1999, by Gábor Janik, who retains 95% ownership. Janik holds an MSc in Horticulture from the University of Horticultural Sciences (1986) and an Advanced Professional English Certification from the College of International Trade (1990). The company specializes in bird feed production and export, primarily serving markets in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, alongside cultivating and distributing imported/exported horticultural seeds. It maintains exclusive partnerships with JOEUN Seed (South Korea) and Takii Europe (Japan), a leader in professional seed breeding and production. Pannon Flora collaborates with certification bodies such as NÉBIH (National Food Chain Safety Office), MERT Kontroll, and SGS Hungary to ensure compliance and quality. The company works with approximately 400 Hungarian growers, ranging from small-scale producers (under 5 hectares) to mid-sized farms and large-scale agricultural enterprises. This profile emphasizes agribusiness expertise, technical partnerships, and operational scalability tailored to international client needs.

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