''Sarcococca'' (sweet box or Christmas box) is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of 11 species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the box

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Buxaceae,

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

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 is conne ...

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 ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s tall. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

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 particu ...

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 (''kernel'') ...

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 angiospe ...

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 are ...

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 ''Sarcococca confusa'', the sweet box, is a species of flowering plant in the family Buxaceae, probably native to western China. It is an evergreen shrub growing to tall by broad, with glossy green ovate leaves and honey-scented white flowers i ...

'' 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 pr ...

'' Baill. *''

Sarcococca humilis ''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 leaves ...

'' Stapf *''

Sarcococca longifolia ''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 leaves ...

'' M. Cheng *''

Sarcococca longipetiolata ''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 leaves ...

'' M. Cheng *''

Sarcococca orientalis ''Sarcococca orientalis'' is a species in the genus ''Sarcococca'' in the plant family Buxaceae. It is commonly known as Christmas box or sweet box. It is native to Jiangxi province of south-east China, and forms a small evergreen shrub, preferr ...

'' C. Y. Wu *''

Sarcococca pruniformis ''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 leaves ...

'' ( 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 traditiona ...

'' (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 leaves ...

'' 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 leaves ...

'' 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