''Sarcococca'' (sweet box or Christmas box) is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of 11 species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...
s in the box
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Buxaceae,
native to eastern and southeastern Asia and the Himalayas. They are slow-growing,
monoecious
Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy.
Monoecy i ...
,
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
shrubs tall. The
leaves are borne alternately, 3–12 cm long and 1–4 cm broad.
The plants bear fragrant white flowers, often in winter. The
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...
is a red or black
drupe
In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part ( exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kerne ...
containing 1–3
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...
s. Some species are cultivated as
groundcover or low hedging in moist, shady areas.
The basic
chromosome
A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins ar ...
number for genus is 14 (2n = 28).
The genus name ''Sarcococca'' comes from the Greek σάρξ (''sárx'') and κόκκος (''kókkos'') for "fleshy berry", referring to the black fruit.
Selected species
*''
Sarcococca confusa''
Sealy – Sweet box
*''
Sarcococca hookeriana
''Sarcococca hookeriana'', the Himalayan sweet box, is a species of flowering plant in the box family Buxaceae, native to China, Afghanistan, North East India, Bhutan and Nepal. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub, usually growing to high. It p ...
''
Baill.
*''
Sarcococca humilis''
Stapf
*''
Sarcococca longifolia''
M. Cheng
*''
Sarcococca longipetiolata''
M. Cheng
*''
Sarcococca orientalis''
C. Y. Wu
*''
Sarcococca pruniformis'' (
Saracodine courier)
*''
Sarcococca ruscifolia
''Sarcococca ruscifolia'' (野扇花) is a species of flowering plant in the box family Buxaceae, native to China (Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Shanxi, Sichuan, C, NW, and SE Yunnan), where it inhabits forested mountain slopes. Growing t ...
''
Stapf
*''
Sarcococca saligna
''Sarcococca saligna'', the sweet box or Christmas box, is a species of flowering plant in the family Buxaceae. This shrub is native to northern Pakistan. Its common name in Pakistan is sheha.
Biological activity and medical usage
In tradition ...
''
(D. Don) Mull.-Arg.
*''
Sarcococca vagans
''Sarcococca'' (sweet box or Christmas box) is a genus of 11 species of flowering plants in the box family Buxaceae, native to eastern and southeastern Asia and the Himalayas. They are slow-growing, monoecious, evergreen shrubs tall. The leav ...
''
Stapf
*''
Sarcococca wallichii
''Sarcococca'' (sweet box or Christmas box) is a genus of 11 species of flowering plants in the box family Buxaceae, native to eastern and southeastern Asia and the Himalayas. They are slow-growing, monoecious, evergreen shrubs tall. The leav ...
''
Stapf
*''
Sarcococca zeylanica
''Sarcococca zeylanica'' is a species of evergreen shrub or groundcover, endemic to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ...
''
Baill.
References
Flora of Pakistan: ''Sarcococca''Flora of China: ''Sarcococca'' species list
Eudicot genera
{{eudicot-stub