Sweet box Sarcococca hookeriana
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Sweet box:
- Phonetic Spelling
- sar-koh-KOH-kah hook-er-ee-AN-ah
- Description
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Sweet Box is a shade-loving, evergreen, low shrub that matures to about 5 feet high and 6 feet wide. The plant spreads slowly by rhizomes to form a colony and does best in shady areas of the landscape. The dark green evergreen leaves provide an attractive winter interest with small, fragrant white flowers that bloom in the spring. Sweet box is drought tolerant, but leaves can lose their luster and become yellowish if grown in sun. It is particularly resistant to damage by deer. The genus name comes from the Greek words sarkos meaning flesh and kokkos meaning a berry in reference to the fleshy fruits. The species name honors Sir Joseph Hooker (1817-1911), a British botanist and explorer who was a director of Kew Gardens
Sweet Box does best in organically rich, acidic, moist, well-drained soils in part shade to full shade with consistent moisture. Established plants have some drought tolerance and are cold hardy to about -10 F. You can prune the shrub in spring after flowering to maintain an attractive shape and desired height.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.
VIDEO created by Ryan Contreras for “Landscape Plant Materials I: Deciduous Hardwoods and Conifers or Landscape Plant Materials II: Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
- var. humilis
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
- var. humilis
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Sarcococca
- Species:
- hookeriana
- Family:
- Buxaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- ground cover
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- China, Central and Eastern Himalaya to South Eastern Tibet
- Dimensions:
- Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 5 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Mounding
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Female flowers give way to globose, shiny black fruits to 1/3 of an inch wide.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Shape:
- Tubular
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Tiny, apetalous (without petals), unisexual, tubular, fragrant, white flowers (1/2 inch long) bloom in the leaf axils in March-April.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Leathery
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Opposite
- Other/more complex
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Lustrous dark green leaves, 3 1/2 inches long and 3/4 of an inch wide and slender pointed are evergreen. Typically alternate, but occasionally opposite.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Slope/Bank
- Landscape Theme:
- Cottage Garden
- Shade Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Hedge
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Heavy Shade
