Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)
Folk Names: Box, Boxtree, Dudgeon
Description: Boxwood is of the rather small family of Euphorbia. It prefers well-drained soils. It is an evergreen shrub or small tree four to fifteen feet tall. The twigs are dense with small opposite, elliptic to ovate, leaves one inch long. They are dark green on top and pale green underneath. The bark of the trunk is rugged and grayish while the branches are yellowish. Clusters of small inconspicuous yellow-green flowers appear from April to June, producing horned capsules full of shiny black seeds which burst at maturity. The wood is dense, durable, and finely grained.
Effects:
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Traditions:
Boxwood has been a favored hedge for formal gardens for many years, and William Penn chose it for his estate in Colonial Williamsburg.
The wood has been used since ancient times to make decorative boxes, hence the name.
Magic:
In Sweden, an extract of boxwood was used to cure premature baldness, but the user was warned to be careful not to get it on the face or neck, presumably because you’d then have a hairy neck or face as well as a hairy head. Of course, I wonder how you’d get it on your head at all without your hands getting hairy.
Boxwood was considered protective of domestic animals, especial those that roam out doors.
Known Combinations:
none noted
Medical Indications: (Caution: leaves contain poisons) Parts used:
While boxwood was once considered a cure for epilepsy, leprosy, toothache, and at one time, rabies, it is not wise to ingest this plant as the leaves contain poisons.
Nutrition:
none noted
Mercantile Uses:
The wood is valued, though small, for its density and hardness, being the hardest and heaviest of all European woods. has been used for decorative boxes, flutes and other musical instruments, chess pieces, inlay and ornamental work. The leaves and sawdust, boiled in lye, was once used as an auburn hair dye.