About Buxus balearica Lam.
Buxus balearica Lam., commonly known as Balearic boxwood, is a monoecious tree or shrub that grows up to three meters tall. Its leaves are oval and bright, somewhat larger than the leaves of common boxwood, and sometimes develop a reddish or yellowish color. It blooms in spring, and can be propagated from either seeds or cuttings. Like other Mediterranean plant species, it regenerates well after wildfire. Within Spain, Balearic boxwood occurs in highly fragmented populations in Eastern Andalusia and the Balearic Islands. In Eastern Andalusia, it grows in the provinces of Málaga and Granada within the Sierras of Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park, and also in the Province of Almería in the Sierra de Gádor. In the Balearic Islands, it is found in the Serra de Tramuntana on Mallorca and on the island of Cabrera, but is now extinct on the island of Menorca. The species was recorded in 1943 in the Sierra de la Muela, Cabo Tiñoso y Roldán in the Region of Murcia, but is currently considered extinct there. Overall within Spain, Balearic boxwood is listed as "near threatened" on the IUCN Red List of threatened vascular flora, and listed as "vulnerable" on the Red List of vascular flora for Eastern Andalusia. In Africa, it occurs in Morocco's Rif region, within Talassemtane National Park.
