Buxaceae

Common box

Buxus sempervirens L.

Family: Buxaceae
Genus: Buxus

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Common box (Buxus sempervirens) — FlowerPhoto: hecklemore, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (61)

Arabic: شمشاد دائم الخضرة, الكتم, بقسيس, شمشاد قلخيسي
Armenian: Տոսախ մշտադալար, Տոսախ կոլխիդյան
arz: شمشاد دائم الخضره, بوكسوس كولشيكا
Asturian: Boxe
Azerbaijani: Həmişəyaşıl şümşad
Bangla: পশ্চিমা শামশাদ, কাভকাশীয় শামশাদ
Basque: Ezpel arrunt
Belarusian: Самшыт вечназялёны
Bulgarian: Обикновен чемшир, Колхидски чемшир
Catalan: Boix, Boix comú
Chinese: 錦熟黃楊, 锦熟黄杨
Corsican: Bussu
Croatian: Vazdazeleni šimšir
csb: Zwëczajny bùksówc
Czech: Zimostráz vždyzelený, Krušpánek, Zimostráz, Zimostráz obecný
Danish: Almindelig Buksbom, Buksbom
Dutch: Buxus
English: Common box, Boxwood, Common boxwood, Holaaaaaa, European box
Esperanto: Ordinara bukso
Estonian: Harilik pukspuu
Finnish: Isopuksipuu, Reunuspuksipuu
French: Buis toujours vert
frr: Boksbuum
Galician: Buxo común
Georgian: Ჩვეულებრივი ბზა, Მარადმწვანე ბზა, Კოლხური ბზა
German: Gewöhnlicher Buchsbaum, Buchsbaum, Buchsstrauch, Kolchischer Buchsbaum
Greek: Πυξός, Πυξάρι, Τσαμσίρι
gv: Aigh vane
Hebrew: אשכרוע ירוק-עד
hsb: Wšědny buksowc, Buks, Buksownja, Kruwymór, Nakoznik, Pušpon
Hungarian: Örökzöld puszpáng, Puszpáng
Icelandic: Boxviður
Irish: Crann bosca
Italian: Bosso comune
Japanese: セイヨウツゲ, コルキスツゲ
li: Paumebuimke, Paume
Lithuanian: Paprastasis buksmedis
lmo: Martel, Martelina, Martelìna
Luxembourgish: Pällem
Macedonian: Обична зеленика, Обичен шимшир
mzn: شیشار
Norwegian Bokmål: Buksbom
Norwegian Nynorsk: Buksbom
os: Æнусонцъæх чеса, Колхидæйаг чеса
Persian: شمشاد جنگلی, بوکسس کاچیکا
Polish: Bukszpan zwyczajny, Bukszpan wieczniezielony
Portuguese: Buxo
rsk: Ґузбанок
Russian: Самшит вечнозелёный, Самшит вечнозеленый, Самшит колхидский
scn: Abbusciu, Busciu
Serbian: Шимшир
Serbian (Latin): Šimšir
Slovak: Krušpán vždyzelený
Slovenian: Navadni pušpan
Spanish: Alarquez, Alazquez, Boj comun, Boj común, Box comun, Box común, Box dorado, Box grande
Swedish: Buxbom, Boxwood
Turkish: Adi şimşir, Gürci şimşiri
Ukrainian: Самшит вічнозелений, Вічнозелений самшит
vls: Busseboom
Walloon: Påkî
Welsh: Pren bocs

Synonyms

Buxus angustifolia Mill.
Buxus arborescens Mill.
Buxus argentea hort. ex Steud.
Buxus aurea hort. ex Steud.
Buxus caucasica hort. ex K.Koch
Buxus colchica Pojark.
Buxus crispa hort. ex K.Koch
Buxus cucullata hort. ex K.Koch
Buxus elegantissima hort. ex K.Koch
Buxus fruticosa Borkh.
Buxus handsworthii hort. ex K.Koch
Buxus hyrcana Pojark.
Buxus macrophylla hort. ex Dippel
Buxus marginata hort. ex Steud.
Buxus mucronata hort. ex Baill.
Buxus myrtifolia Lam.
Buxus rosmarinifolia hort. ex Baill.
Buxus salicifolia hort. ex K.Koch
Buxus sempervirens f. angustifolia (Mill.) Rehder
Buxus sempervirens f. longifolia G.Kirchn.
Buxus sempervirens f. myrtifolia (Lam.) C.K.Schneid.
Buxus sempervirens f. rotundifolia (Baill.) Schelle
Buxus sempervirens f. suffruticosa (L.) Rehder
Buxus sempervirens subsp. hyrcana (Pojark.) Takht.
Buxus sempervirens unranked latifolia Hort. ex Rehder
Buxus sempervirens unranked pyramidalis Simon-Louis
Buxus sempervirens var. angustifolia Loudon
Buxus sempervirens var. angustifolia (Mill.) Gray
Buxus sempervirens var. arborescens L.
Buxus sempervirens var. grandifolia Müll.Arg.
Buxus sempervirens var. myrtifolia (Lam.) Loudon
Buxus sempervirens var. pyramidata (Carrière) Hartwig & Rümpler
Buxus sempervirens var. rosmarinifolium Baill.
Buxus sempervirens var. rotundifolia Baill.
Buxus sempervirens var. subfruticosa Gray
Buxus sempervirens var. suffruticosa L.
Buxus suffruticosa Mill.
Buxus tenuifolia hort. ex Baill.
Buxus variegata hort. ex Steud.
Buxus vulgaris Bubani

and 1 more.

Flowers

In flower: February to April (from 351 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub, Tree
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: hecklemore, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: formicacid, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Connor Connolly-Moyls, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. MPF assumed, CC BY 2.5, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Diego González Dopico, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. MPF assumed, CC BY 2.5, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: abbisci, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: zebedeugalinha, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: marco, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: zebedeugalinha, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Urutseg, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Buxus

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.