boxwood

Arboretum scientist brings back boxwood from far-flung places
May 18, 2006
ARS News Service
Lynn R. Batdorf has searched far and wide for boxwood in efforts to
diversify the collection he curates at the U.S. National Arboretum in
Washington, DC.
Batdorf, a horticulturalist, has been curator of the arboretum's National
Boxwood Collection since 1977, carefully tending about 150 different
species and cultivars in one of the world's most complete boxwood
collections. The arboretum is operated by the Agricultural Research
Service (ARS), the chief scientific research agency of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Batdorf, who recently discussed his boxwood collection efforts at the
46th American Boxwood Society Meeting and Symposium in Memphis, Tenn., in
2002 began exploring for boxwood in Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic
that is home to many rare species. Foreigners have only recently been
allowed to visit that country for plant exploration. During an expedition
to the Chirkan Nature Reserve, in the towns of Lankaran and Astara,
Batdorf discovered Buxus colchica, a very large (30 feet tall) and
ancient (over 250 years old) boxwood.
In January 2006, Batdorf registered a new Korean semidrawf boxwood (Buxus
sinica var. insularis), dubbed Wee Willie, in the Boxwood Bulletin, a
quarterly journal of the American Boxwood Society (ABS). This boxwood has
straight, vertical stems with dense, dark- green leaves and excellent
cold hardiness.
Other valuable boxwood in the arboretum's collection includes Vardar
Valley (Buxus sempervirens) from Macedonia, a variety known for its
fragrant flowers, shallow roots, and resistance to leaf miners and mites.
Another notable variety is Curly Locks (Buxus microphylia), a
medium-sized plant with small, curly leaves.
In addition to writing and illustrating the comprehensive Boxwood:
An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Batdorf recently compiled and released his
latest findings in Boxwood Handbook: A Practical Guide (3rd. edition).
Both are available through the nonprofit ABS.

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