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Japanese Box
Buxus microphylla var. japonica
ツゲ
An evergreen shrub to small tree endemic to Japan. The wood is extremely hard and dense, traditionally prized for making shogi pieces, seals, and combs. Widely used as a garden tree and hedge.
Identification Points
- ✓Leaves small, coriaceous, elliptic, opposite, and glossy
- ✓Flowers inconspicuous, small, and yellow-green
- ✓Wood yellowish-white, extremely dense and hard
Habitat
Mountain limestone areas, warm-temperate forests, and gardens
Season
March–April (flowers)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Round
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Petal fusion
Free
Stipules
Absent
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Ovary position
Superior
Phylogenetic Positionツゲ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Basal eudicots > Buxales > Buxaceae
Divergence Era
Middle Cretaceous (approx. 100 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Buxaceae occupies an isolated position in the angiosperm phylogeny; its slow-growing hard wood contributes to physical defense against insects.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification