Buxaceae

Buxaceae are a small family consisting of four or five genera and around 90-120 species of plants. They are evergreen shrubs and small trees spread throughout the Northern hemisphere and also growing in the Andes, in South America, Madagascar – South Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Widely used in Bulgaria as an ornamental species is the evergreen box-tree (Buxus sempervirens L.).
The evergreen box-tree is a small tree with a height of up to 10 meters, but more often it is an evergreen shrub with a very thick corona.The young branches are yellowish and slightly ridged, covered with very thickly set leaves. The leaves are simple, alternately arranged and comparatively small.They are egg-shaped, elliptical, leathery and peripherally uncut. The upper surface is dark green and glossy, while the lower one is light green or yellow-green and dull. The flowers are unisexual and appear in the hearts of the leaves. The fruit is a tiny cracking capsule containing the seeds. They are comparatively small, black and usually 6 per capsule. Box-tree is one of the slowest growing deciduous species. It is long lived and reaches an age of up to 700 years.