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.
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