Sarcococca

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Ordo: Buxales

Familia: Buxaceae
Tribus: Stylocerateae
Genus: Sarcococca
Species: S. balansae – S. bleddynii – S. confertiflora – S. confusa – S. conzattii – S. coriacea – S. hookeriana – S. longifolia – S. longipetiolata – S. orientalis – S. ruscifolia – S. saligna – S. tonkinense – S. vagans – S. wallichii – S. zeylanica
Name

Sarcococca Lindl., 1826.

Typus: S. pruniformis Lindl., nom. illeg. = S. coriacea

References

Lindley, J. 1826. Edwards's Bot. Reg. 1012.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Sarcococca in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Jul 14. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2019. Sarcococca. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2019. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Jul. 14. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Sarcococca. Published online. Accessed: Jul 14 2019.
Tropicos.org 2019. Sarcococca. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Jul 14.

Vernacular names
English: Christmas Box

Sarcococca (sweet box or Christmas box)[1][2] 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 1–2 m (3–7 ft) 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 is a red or black drupe containing 1–3 seeds. Some species are cultivated as groundcover or low hedging in moist, shady areas.[3] The basic chromosome number for genus is 14 (2n = 28).[4]

The genus name Sarcococca comes from the Greek σάρξ (sárx) and κόκκος (kókkos) for "fleshy berry", referring to the black fruit.[5]
Selected species

Sarcococca confusa Sealy – Sweet box
Sarcococca hookeriana Baill.
Sarcococca humilis Stapf
Sarcococca longifolia M. Cheng
Sarcococca longipetiolata M. Cheng
Sarcococca orientalis C. Y. Wu
Sarcococca pruniformis (Saracodine courier)
Sarcococca ruscifolia Stapf
Sarcococca saligna (D. Don) Mull.-Arg.
Sarcococca vagans Stapf
Sarcococca wallichii Stapf
Sarcococca zeylanica Baill.

References

The Plant List: http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=sarcococca
Hilliers Manual of Trees and Shrubs, Redwood Burn, 1998
RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1-4053-3296-5.
Kubitzki, Klaus (2007). The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Vol. 9. Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Berberidopsidales, Buxales, Crossosomatales, Fabales p.p., Geraniales, Gunnerales, Myrtales p.p., Proteales, Saxifragales, Vitales, Zygophyllales, Clusiaceae Alliance, Passifloraceae Alliance, Dilleniaceae, Huaceae, Picramniaceae, Sabiaceae. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 43. ISBN 978-3540322191. "For Sarcococca, diploids with 2n=28 (less frequently, tetraploids) are recorded."

Coombes, Allen J. (2012). The A to Z of plant names. USA: Timber Press. pp. 312. ISBN 978-1-60469-196-2.

Flora of Pakistan: Sarcococca
Flora of China: Sarcococca species list