Sarcococca

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Sarcococca-humilis.JPG

| image_caption = Sarcococca humilis

| taxon = Sarcococca

| authority = Lindl.

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = See text

}}

Sarcococca (sweet box or Christmas box)The Plant List: http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=sarcococcaHilliers Manual of Trees and Shrubs, Redwood Burn, 1998 is a genus of flowering plants in the box family (Buxaceae). native to eastern and southeastern Asia, and the Himalayas, with one species native to Central America. They are slow-growing, monoecious, evergreen shrubs {{convert|1|-|2|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall. The leaves are borne alternately, 3–12 cm long and 1–4 cm broad.

As of January 2025, the genus Sarcococca contains 15 accepted species.{{Cite web |title=Sarcococca Lindl. {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:15885-1 |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=Plants of the World Online |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Sarcococca Lindl. |url=https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000034031 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230317221550/http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000034031 |archive-date=2023-03-17 |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=www.worldfloraonline.org |language=en}} The genus is predominantly native to Asia, with more than half of Sarcococca species native to China,{{Cite web |title=Sarcococca in Flora of China @ efloras.org |url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=129205 |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=www.efloras.org}} however one species (Sarcococca conzattii) is native to southern Mexico (Oaxaca) and Guatemala.{{Cite web |title=Sarcococca conzattii (Standl.) I.M.Johnst. {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:227693-2 |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=Plants of the World Online |language=en}}{{Citation |last=Shipunov |first=Alexey |title=Not out of the box: phylogeny of the broadly sampled Buxaceae |date=2020-08-07 |url=https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.03.235267v2.full |access-date=2025-01-15 |language=en |doi=10.1101/2020.08.03.235267 |last2=Lee |first2=Hye Ji |last3=Choi |first3=Jinhee |last4=Pay |first4=Kyle |last5=DeSpiegelaire |first5=Sarah |last6=Floden |first6=Aaron|doi-access=free }}

The plants bear fragrant white flowers, often in winter. The fruit is a red or black drupe containing 1–3 seeds. Some species are cultivated as groundcover or low hedging in moist, shady areas.{{cite book|title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants|year=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1-4053-3296-5|pages=1136}} The basic chromosome number for genus is 14 (2n = 28).{{Cite book|title=The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Vol. 9. Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Berberidopsidales, Buxales, Crossosomatales, Fabales p.p., Geraniales, Gunnerales, Myrtales p.p., Proteales, Saxifragales, Vitales, Zygophyllales, Clusiaceae Alliance, Passifloraceae Alliance, Dilleniaceae, Huaceae, Picramniaceae, Sabiaceae.|last=Kubitzki|first=Klaus|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|year=2007|isbn=978-3540322191|pages=43|quote=For Sarcococca, diploids with 2n=28 (less frequently, tetraploids) are recorded.}}

The genus name Sarcococca comes from the Greek σάρξ (sárx) and κόκκος (kókkos) for "fleshy berry", referring to the black fruit.{{cite book|last=Coombes|first=Allen J.|title=The A to Z of plant names|year=2012|publisher=Timber Press|location=USA|isbn=978-1-60469-196-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781604691962/page/312 312]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781604691962/page/312}}