Bosea

Plant Characteristics

Habit		shrub
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial

Cultivation

Features:	✓	evergreen

Scientific Names

Amaranthaceae >

Bosea >

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Bosea The genus of evergreen, woody shrubs contains 3 species that are geographically widely separated; one in the Canary Islands, one in Cyprus and one in the western Himalayas. The species have many crowded cane-like stems from ground level grow to medium to tall shrubs, smallish simple leaves with smooth margins, and tiny white-to-green flowers in branched spikes at end of branches. The fruits are very small berries, which have varied local uses as food plants and in traditional medicine.

Read about Bosea in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Bosea (after Kaspar Bose, German amateur of plants, at Leipzig, about 1700). Amarantaceae. Syn., Bosia. Woody plants, rarely cultivated for their ornamental crimson berries. Upright shrub: Lvs. petioled, alternate, ovate to ovate- lanceolate, entire: fls. small, with 2-4 bracts at. the base, in terminal spikes or racemes; sepals and stamens 5; petals wanting; ovary with 3 subulate stigmas: fr a 1-seeded berry.—Three species in the Canary Isls., Cyprus and Himalayas. They can be cult. only in warmer temperate regions. Prop, by seeds and probably by cuttings of young wood. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

Although rarely found in cultivation they are easily grown in any well-drained soil in full sun or warm sheltered position in climates from cool temperate to temperate. They re-sprout vigorously after being cut back and can be grown as an ornamental or informal kind of hedge.

Propagation

Easily propagate from cuttings, seed or root division.

Species

• Bosea amherstiana variegated form also available.
• Bosea yervamora

Gallery

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Bosea. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Bosea QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)