Scientific Name:
Buxus sinica
var.
insularis
'Winter Gem'
Pronunciation:
BUCKS-us SY-nih-kuh var. in-soo-LAIR-is
Common Name:
Korean littleleaf boxwood, winter gem boxwood
Family Name:
Buxaceae
Plant Type:
Broadleaf evergreen
Key ID Features:
Slow growing dense, compact, mounded boxwood that usually kept <80cm tall and broad; leaves opposite, most blades obovate, 1-2.5cm long x 4-8mm wide; apex rounded or notched, bright green.
Habit:
Dense, Open, Upright
Form:
Mounded, Round
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Garden origin, S.E. Asia / Japan / China
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun only if soil kept moist, Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Ground cover, Hedge row, Perennial border
Additional Info:
Google (still widely sold as Buxus microphylla var. japonica 'Winter Gem').
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous
Shapes:
Obovate
Apices:
Emarginate or retuse, Rounded
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Cultivar shown: Buxus microphylla 'Winter Gem'
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, Green-yellow
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Additional Info:
One per leaf axil with many stamens; insect (bee) pollinated
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Green, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jun, Jul
Bark Morphology:
Lightly fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Brown
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant, Drought tolerant)
