Balearic boxwood
| Balearic boxwood | ||||||||||||
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Balearic boxwood ( Buxus balearica ) |
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| Buxus balearica | ||||||||||||
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The Balearic boxwood ( Buxus balearica ) is a species of the genus boxwood ( Buxus ). It is common in parts of the Mediterranean .
description
Vegetative characteristics
The Balearic boxwood grows very slowly as a shrub or small tree and can reach heights of up to 3 meters. All parts of the plant are bare. The whole plant is hairless. The leaves are arranged opposite each other on the branches. The simple, leathery leaf blade is egg-shaped with a length of 2.5 to 4 centimeters and a width of 0.9 to 1.8 centimeters. Compared to common boxwood ( Buxus sempervirens ) the upper side of the leaves is less shiny and lighter green.
Generative characteristics
The flowering period extends from April to May. The inflorescence has a diameter of about 10 millimeters and contains rounded, blunt bracts . The Balearic box tree is single sexed ( monoecious ), so male and female flowers are on one specimen. There are no petals . The styles are as long as the capsule fruit .
In contrast to the common boxwood ( Buxus sempervirens ), the Balearic boxwood is sensitive to frosts.
distribution
The distribution area of the Balearic boxwood includes Sardinia , the Balearic Islands , occasionally in southern and eastern Spain, northwest Africa and southern Anatolia .
literature
- Schönfelder: What blooms on the Mediterranean , Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-440-10211-4
