Thanks, Anita. It's nice having such a tremendous resource as
the National Arboretum in the "neighborhood," I bet. I'd guess
he's not the only "Authority" on the staff.

Does anyone care to place any bets as to whether this
information -- no matter how widely disseminated -- will change
anything in what bonsaiests call this plant?

I don't.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - VEGETARIAN:
An Indian word meaning "lousy hunter." (Borrowed from a sig by
fellow listowner, Scott Peterson)



Hello friends in bonsai -
In searching for an answer for the true botanical name of the
cultivar
we call 'Kingsville' boxwood, I was fortunate enough to be
directed to
Lynn Batdorf at the US Natl. Arboretum. He's the curator of the
boxwood collection there, the registrar of cultivar names, the
author
of the Boxwood Handbook, and just pretty much the ultimate
arbitor for
such a question. Also, he was kind enough to give a thorough
history
of the so-called Kingsville box, and asked me to pass it on to
you.

I do so here to the list as well as to the IBC Gallery where
the
question originally arose, knowing that the readership of the
two
doesn't entirely overlap. Apologies to anyone who gets it
twice.

Anita
(who, I have to admit, still calls her 'Compacta' boxes
Kingsville in
moments of forgetfullness)

from Lynn Batdorf:

Yes, probably the entire bonsai community incorrectly uses the
name
Buxus microphylla /Kingsville/ and /Kingsville Dwarf/ when
referring
to'Compacta'. I'm very glad to set the record straight for you.

Buxus microphylla 'Compacta' was registered by Dr. Donald Wyman
in his
1963 article "Boxwood Prized Where Ever Hardy Form is Found"
which
appeared in the 117(7):50 issue of American Nurseryman.

Henry Hohman had showed the plant to Wyman who went on to
register it.
It originated as a seedling selected by William Appleby of
Baltimore
in 1912. When Appleby died in the 1920's, Hohman bought the
boxwood
seedlings and began propagating them. 'Compacta' was released
to the
trade in 1937. At the suggestion of Dr. Wyman then of the
Arnold
Arboretum in Massachusetts, Hohman originally named the plant
Buxus
microphylla var. compacta.

Growing very slowly with small leaves and treelike branching
has made
'Compacta' a prefect and popular choice for bonsai. The first
'Compacta' used for bonsai originated from the Kingsville
Nursery in
Kingsville, Maryland, thus using the source as a name, bonsai
enthusiasts call it /Kingsville/ or /Kingsville Dwarf/.

The named selected by Hohman (B. microphylla var. compacta) is
a
synonym for B. microphylla 'Compacta'. /Kingsville/ and
/Kingsville
Dwarf/ are also a synonym for B. microphylla 'Compacta'.

I would be grateful if you could pass this registration
information on
to the larger bonsai community. I find it quite unfortunate to
see
such a beautiful bonsai specimen as 'Compacta' repeatedly and
incorrectly named as either /Kingsville/ or /Kingsville Dwarf/.

As a point of interest, your nurseryman in Kingsville is
correct.
Also, as you correctly noted, 'Compacta' does throw sports of
its own,
having given rise to several other registered boxwood cultivars
that
are stable: 'Curly Locks', 'Grace Hendrick Phillips', 'Helen
Whiting',
'Henry Hohman', and 'Sunlight'.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact
me.

Sincerely,
Lynn R. Batdorf
International Cultivar Registration Authority for Buxus
U.S. National Arboretum


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