Common Name:
Sweet Box
Some 11 species of evergreen shrubs, often low, or small trees. Leaves leathery, alternate, occasionally subopposite, near ends of shoots, glabrous, entire, with short petioles. Flowers very small, whitish, without petals, in compact axillary clusters, male flowers (4 free stamens) at the apex and female flowers (2-3 styles) at the base. Fruit ovoid or globose berry, red, purple to black. Native to southeast Asia, Himalaya, western China.
Sarcococca: from sarco, flesh, and kokkos: a berry (i.e., fleshy fruit).
Pronunciation:
sar-ko-KOK-a
Family:
Buxaceae