Japanese Box

Buxus microphylla var. japonica

Flower name
Japanese Box
Scientific name
Buxus microphylla var. japonica
Aliasホンツゲ
Place of originJapan
Place of floweringGarden, Bonsai
Flowering seasonMarch, April

What is Japanese Box

Japanese Box, tsuge (Scientific name: Buxus microphylla var. japonica）is an evergreen broad-leaved shrub native to Japan in the family Buxaceae. It grows wild in the mountains west of the Kanto region.
It produces pale yellow female flowers (pistil number: 1, calyx number: 6) and male flowers (stamen number: 4, eh: 4) from the tip of twigs and leaf axils from March to April. The inflorescence consists of clusters of small flowers (0.3cm in diameter). There is no petal, and female flowers have one female flower in the center of the flower and several male flowers in the periphery. The male flowers have 4 sepals and 4 stamens each, and the female flowers have 6 sepals and 1 stamen. The wood is yellow, hard, dense, smooth, and beautifully grained, and is used for woodwork such as combs, seals, and shogi (Japanese chess) pieces. There is a dwarf species called Buxus microphylla, or hime-tsuge (scientific name: Buxus microphylla var. microphylla). The difference between the two is that the Japanese Box (B. japonica) is taller and has larger leaves.

Common name: Japanese Box, or tsuge, Scientific name: Buxus microphylla var. japonica, also known as hon-tsuge, asama-tsuge or satsuma-tsuge, inflorescence: opposite, leaf shape: oblong, dioecious, flowering language: firmness, firmness and patience, Distribution: Honshu (Yamagata, Miyagi and southwards), Shikoku, Kyushu, Height: 1-3 m, Trunk Diameter: 0.1 m, Life Form: Evergreen broad-leaved shrub, Leaf Length: 2-3 cm, Leaf Width: 1-1.5 cm, Leaf Edge: entire margin, Dioecious, Flowering Period: March-April, Flower Color: pale yellow, Petal Flowering season: March - April, Flower color: pale yellow, Petal number: 0, Inflorescence form: raceme, Female flowers (number of pistil: 1, number of calyx: 6), Male flowers (number of stamen: 4, number of e: 4), Flower diameter: 0.2 - 0.3 cm, Fruit type: capsel, Fruit shape: oblong, Fruiting season: September - October, Usage: garden tree, roadside tree, comb, seal, shogi piece and other woodcraft.