AI overview
Ruscus aculeatus is a small, evergreen shrub with spiky leaves that stays green year-round and is native to Mediterranean regions. It has been traditionally valued for its decorative foliage in floral arrangements and gardens, and some studies suggest it may have medicinal properties, though more research is needed.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Species
SPECIES
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassLiliopsida
- OrderAsparagales
- FamilyAsparagaceae
Native toAlbania, Algeria, Azores, Baleares, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., France, Great Britain, Greece
Common Name: box holly
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Article
Ruscus aculeatus, known as butcher's-broom, is a low evergreen dioecious Eurasian shrub, with flat shoots known as cladodes that give the appearance of stiff, spine-tipped leaves. Small greenish flowers appear in spring, and are borne singly in the centre of the cladodes. The female flowers are followed by a red berry, and the seeds are bird-distributed, but the plant also spreads vegetatively by means of rhizomes. It is native to Eurasia and some northern parts of Africa. Ruscus aculeatus occurs in woodlands and hedgerows, where it is tolerant of deep shade, and also on coastal cliffs. Likely due to its attractive winter/spring color, Ruscus aculeatus has become a fairly common landscape plant. It is also widely planted in gardens, and has spread as a garden escapee in many areas outside its native range. The plant grows well in zones 7 to 9 on the USDA hardiness zone map.
The Latin specific epithet aculeatus means "prickly".