Paxistima Myrsinites, Oregon Boxwood

Day 237: The tiny pink flowers of Oregon Boxwood are difficult to spot unless you're specifically looking for them, measuring no more than 3-4 mm from tip to tip. The species is native to the Pacific Northwest and occurs from British Columbia to northern Mexico and east to Montana, its glossy, toothed foliage distinguishing it from any look-alike. The second half of its binomial Paxistima myrsinites points to the dark green leaf as resembling that of myrtle, although the growth habit of the shrub is more open than that of Myrtus. It is evergreen, and is often sold as a landscaping plant (hardy to Zone 3), and is especially desirable when creating native gardens. It seldom exceeds 36 inches in height and may be pruned to keep it more compact. It is also known by the endearing common name, "Mountain-lover."

Penny Perspectives - Oregon Boxwood

Day 194: As some of you know, I write a regular feature on the Park's Facebook page which appears every Tuesday evening. For the most part, it deals with plants (no surprise there, right?) I try to avoid the more common species, but likewise, I also avoid rarities because rare species generate two stock questions: "Is it edible?" and "Where can I find it?" (with the unvoiced qualifier, "...because I want to dig it up and put it in my yard"). In other words, I like to introduce people to those things they may have missed due to limited observation skills. One way I do that is through "Penny Perspectives." I haven't published one in a while, so was pleased to find Oregon Boxwood in bloom yesterday.

As this Penny Perspective demonstrates, the flowers of Paxistima myrsinites are tiny. Each waxy red petal is only about one millimeter long. They nestle in the leaf axils and can easily be mistaken for foliage in bud. Known by a variety of common names in popular field guides, this short, woody shrub may be called Oregon Boxwood, Falsebox, Myrtle Boxwood, Boxleaf or (my favourite) Mountain-lover, and can be found at any elevation up to the subalpine zone. It is a valuable forage food for deer and elk.

Oregon Boxwood, Paxistima Myrsinites

Day 226: This shrub has been a puzzlement to me for many (many!) years. I first observed it growing along Skate Creek Road and thought that it was an admirable foliage plant with its toothed leaves. I had never observed it flowering until a few days ago when I was wandering through Longmire Campground. It is quite small, and I took the flowers to be buds in tight clusters, and it was only when I took a sample in to ask our Plant Ecologist for an identification that I got a better look. He identified it immediately as Paxistima myrsinites (Oregon Boxwood), although he was somewhat surprised by its location. I had not gotten a good picture of the flower (not realizing it was in full bloom), so made a second sally over the bridge for a better shot, grateful that I had finally been able to lay to rest a botanical mystery which had been troubling me for ages.