Notice

Colin Mills, compiler of the Hortus Camdenensis, died in late November 2012 after a short illness. As he always considered the Hortus his legacy, it is his family's intention to keep the site running in perpetuity. It will not, however, be updated in the near future.

Buxus sempervirens L. var. arborescens

See Buxus sempervirens L. for information on the species.  Arborescens is a form that develops into a large shrub or small tree.  [Hortus, Hilliers’].

Horticultural & Botanical History

An ancient garden plant, arborescens may be of garden origin.  Buxus arborea is recorded in Flora oder Allgemeine botanische Zeitung (1885) and Memoires de l’Academie royale des sciences, des letters et des Beaux-arts de Belgique (1867) [BHL] but is obviously much older.

History at Camden Park

Probably received per ‘Sovereign’ February 1831 as ‘Tree Box’ [MP A2948].  Buxus arborea is also marked with a ‘c’ in an 1836 edition of Loddiges’ Nursery catalogue held at Camden Park [CPA].  In William Macarthur’s code, used and explained elsewhere, this means grown at Camden although it did not appear in the catalogues.  There are several fine specimens in the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney.

Notes

Buxus arborea Procter, an endangered species endemic to Jamaica, was botanically described in 1967 and is not Macarthur’s plant.

Published Apr 02, 2010 - 10:09 AM | Last updated Apr 02, 2010 - 10:12 AM

Family Buxaceae
Category
Region of origin

Europe, including Britain, to North Africa

Synonyms
Common Name

Tree box

Name in the Camden Park Record

Buxus arborea 

Confidence level high