Buxus sempervirens, Common Boxwood



Size: shrub, 3-4' average height and spread at maturity

Leaves: evergreen, opposite, .5-1" long, .25-.5" wide, simple, elliptic or ovate, obtuse or emarginate at tip, margins entire, petiole very short, darker green on top, lighter on bottom, usually shiny, new growth may be blue-gray-green, may blacken in severe winters

Twigs: squarish

Flowers: monoecious, creamy yellow, in clusters developing from leaf axils, no petals, makes with 4 sepals, females with 6

Fruit: .33" 3-celled capsule

Bark: gray