''Escallonia bifida'', the cloven gum box, is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Escalloniaceae. It is native to Brazil and Uruguay. It can grow up to high and broad, and has dark green shiny leaves which are 2 to 7 cm long and 0.8 to 2 cm wide. The pure white flowers, initially tubular but then spreading, appear in summer. It is sparingly naturalised in New South Wales in Australia. It is found in cultivation in mild coastal regions of the UK (hardy down to , where its dense habit makes it suitable for tall hedging. In colder areas it requires the protection of a wall. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. The Latin

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''bifida'' means “cleft in two”.

References

bifida Flora of Brazil Flora of Uruguay Flora naturalised in Australia {{Asterid-stub