the box-tree: A genus of the tetrandra order, belonging to the monocotyledons of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 38th order, Tricocca. The male calyx is tripollous, the germ an embryo, or imperfect rudiment. The female calyx is tetraphyllous: there are three petals, and as many styles: the capsule three beaked and trilocular, with three seeds.

Species. 1. The arborecens, with oval leaves. 2. The angustifolia, or narrow-leaved box. These two sorts grow in great plenty upon Boxhill near Dorking in Surrey in England. Here were formerly large trees of that kind; but now they are much fewer in number. There are two or three varieties of the first sort which are propagated in gardens; one with yellow, and the other with white striped leaves. Another hath the tips of the leaves only marked with yellow, and is called tipped box. 3. The suffruticosa, dwarf, or Dutch box, commonly used for bordering of flower-beds.

Culture. The two first sorts may be raised from seeds; and may be also propagated by cuttings, which are to be planted in the autumn in a shady border. The best season for removing these trees is in October; though, if care be used to take them up with a good ball of earth, they may be transplanted almost at any time except the middle of summer. The dwarf box is increased by parting the roots, or planting the slips; but as it makes so great an increase of itself, and so easily parts, it is hardly worth while to plant the slips that have no roots.

Uses. The tree or large box is proper to intermix in clumps of evergreens, &c. where it adds to the variety of such plantations: they are a very great ornament to cold and barren soils where few other things will grow. The dwarf kind of box is used for bordering flower-beds, or other purposes of that nature; and for this it far excels any other plant, being subject to no injuries from cold or heat. It is of long duration; is easily kept handsome; and, by the firmness of its rooting, keeps the mould in the borders from washing into the gravel walks more effectually than any plant whatever.—Boxwood is extremely hard and smooth, and therefore well adapted to the use of the turner. Combs, mathematical instruments, knife-handles, and button-moulds, are made of it. It may properly enough be substituted in default of ebony, the yellow albumen of which it perfectly resembles. In the Ephemerides of the curious there is the following account of the efficacy. facy of boxwood in making hair grow. "A young woman of Gunberg in Lower Silegia, having had a malignant dysentery which occasioned the falling off of all her hair, was advised by a person, some time after her recovery (as her hair was not likely to grow again of itself, her head being then as bare as the hand), to wash it all over with a decoction of boxwood; which she readily did, without the addition of any other drug. Hair of a chestnut colour grew on her head, as she was told it would do; but having used no precaution to secure her neck and face from the lotion, they became covered with red hair to such a degree, that she seemed little different from an ape or a monkey." This decoction has been recommended by some as a powerful sudorific, preferable even to guaiacum; but the taste readily discovers that it wants the qualities of that wood. Neither the wood nor the leaves of the box-tree at present are used for any other medicinal purpose than the distillation of an empyreumatic oil; and an oil of nearly the same quality is obtained from almost every other wood.