Sarcococca, Sweet box, or Christmas box is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of 16-20 species of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

s in the family Buxaceae

Buxaceae

Buxaceae are a small family of four or five genera and about 90-120 species of flowering plants. They are shrubs and small trees, with a cosmopolitan distribution...

, native to eastern and southeastern Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 and the Himalaya. They are slow-growing evergreen

Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...

 shrub

Shrub

A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...

s 1-2 m tall. The leaves

Leaf

A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....

 are borne alternately, 3-12 cm long and 1-4 cm broad. They bear fragrant flowers, often in winter. The fruit

Fruit

In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...

 is a red or black drupe

Drupe

In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...

 containing 1-3 seed

Seed

A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...

s. Some species are cultivated for ground cover in shady areas.

Selected species

• Sarcococca confusa
  Sarcococca confusa
  Sarcococca confusa is a very adaptable and reliable shrub that is easily grown in many situations, including dense shade with very dry soil. It will however grow in full sun, even though the foliage appears to "bleach" a little. The shrub is mid winter flowering with a delightful sweet scent...
  
  Sealy - Sweet Box
• Sarcococca hookeriana
  Sarcococca hookeriana
  Sarcococca hookeriana is a species of evergreen shrub or groundcover, also known as "Himalayan Sweet Box". It is low-growing, usually between 12 and 24 inches high. It produces aromatic white flowers throughout winter followed by black berries. There are two varieties, of which Sarcococca...
  
  Baill. (including S. hookeriana var. humilis, syn. S. humilis)
• Sarcococca longifolia M. Cheng
• Sarcococca longipetiolata M. Cheng
• Sarcococca orientalis
  Sarcococca orientalis
  Sarcococca orientalis is a species in the genus Sarcococca in the plant family Buxaceae. It is commonly known as Christmas box or Sweet box. It is native to Jiangxi province of south-east China, and forms a small evergreen shrub, preferring positions with some shade. The ovate-lanceolate leaves are...
  
  C. Y. Wu
• Sarcococca ruscifolia Stapf
• Sarcococca saligna (D. Don) Mull.-Arg.
• Sarcococca vagans Stapf
• Sarcococca wallichii Stapf