Area	Classification	Reference
CO: White River-Arapaho NF	forest and shrubland habitat types	Hess and Wasser 1982
ID: Caribou, Targhee NF	forest community types	Mueggler and Campbell 1982
BC: Similkameen Valley	forest community types	McLean 1970
northern UT	forest habitat type	Mauk and Henderson 1984
OR: Wenema NF	forest plant association	Hopkins 1979b
CO: Gunnison, Uncompahgre NF	forest habitat type	Komarkova 1986
CO: White River NF	forest habitat type	Hoffman and Alexander 1983
CO: Routt NF	forest habitat type	Hoffman and Alexander 1980
WA: Okanogan NF	forest plant association	Williams and Lillybridge 1983
eastern WA, northern ID	forest habitat types	Daubenmire and Daubenmire 1968

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VALUE AND USE

SPECIES: Paxistima myrsinites | Oregon Boxwood

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• IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE
• PALATABILITY
• NUTRITIONAL VALUE
• COVER VALUE
• VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES
• OTHER USES AND VALUES
• MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:

Oregon boxwood is considered important forage for deer, elk, and moose [9,13,19,43,56]. Mountain sheep and grouse also browse Oregon boxwood [52]. Livestock occasionally eat Oregon boxwood, but it is not considered an important forage species [52,56].

PALATABILITY:

The degree of use shown by livestock for Oregon boxwood has been rated as follows [14]:

           UT        CO         MT
Cattle    poor      poor       poor
Sheep     fair      poor       poor
Horse     poor      poor       poor

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

Stark [46] has reported on the nutrient content of Oregon boxwood following harvest and burn treatments in western Montana. The nutritional value of Oregon boxwood has been rated as follows [14]:

                     UT      WY        MT
Elk                 fair    ---        poor         
Mule deer           fair    poor       ---         
White-tailed deer   ---     fair       ---         
Antelope            poor    ---        ---         
Upland game bird    poor    poor       ---         
Waterfowl           poor    ---        ---
Nongame bird        poor    poor       ---
Small mammal        poor    ---        ---

COVER VALUE:

The degree to which Oregon boxwood provides environmental protection during one or more seasons for wildlife species has been rated as follows [14]:

                     MT        UT       WY
Pronghorn           ---       poor     ---
Elk                 poor      poor     ---
Mule deer           poor      poor     ---
White-tailed deer   ---       ---      poor
Small mammals       poor      fair     ---
Nongame birds       poor      fair     ---
Upland game birds   poor      fair     ---
Waterfowl           ---       poor     ---

VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:

Oregon boxwood root cuttings or 2-0 stock can be used to revegetate disturbed sites [38].

OTHER USES AND VALUES:

Oregon boxwood is easily shaped and adapts well to both sunny and shady spots, making it ideal for an ornamental and ground cover [23,29,52].

MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:

Oregon boxwood is not easily controlled with herbicides, possibly because of its leathery, evergreen leaves [3,21,37].

Oregon boxwood appears to increase in logged areas compared to uncut areas in grand fir (Abies grandis) types of western Montana [1]. In general, Oregon boxwood seems to increase following logging; however, it may not really benefit from management treatments because undisturbed shrubs may have the same growth rate as disturbed shrubs [32]. In logged grand fir/Oregon boxwood sites of northern Idaho, Oregon boxwood decreased for the first 7 years, then increased after 25 years to higher cover values than in unlogged areas [55].

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BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SPECIES: Paxistima myrsinites | Oregon Boxwood

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• GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS
• RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM
• REGENERATION PROCESSES
• SITE CHARACTERISTICS
• SUCCESSIONAL STATUS
• SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT

GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Oregon boxwood is a native, cool-season, evergreen shrub, with maroon flowers [24]. It is low growing, reaching heights of 1 to 3 feet (0.3-1 m), sometimes spreading, and densely branched. Its leaves are oblong and glabrous. Its fruit is a one- to two-seeded capsule [40,52].

RAUNKIAER [44] LIFE FORM:

Phanerophyte

REGENERATION PROCESSES:

Oregon boxwood stems can layer and root, and the shrub can be propagated easily through stem cuttings [29]. Seeds are dispersed by gravity, with no evidence to suggest they are dispersed by any other means [42].

SITE CHARACTERISTICS:

Oregon boxwood grows on dry to moist sites in shaded mountain areas as high as subalpine habitats, but can be found at sea level in California [29,31]. It can grow in frost pockets in steep ravines or in open woods, ridgetops, and glades [12,22,28,29]. Oregon boxwood can occur on well-drained, shallow, gravelly soils, in clay and silt loams, and cobbly clay [22]. In British Columbia Oregon boxwood occurs on Podzols and Regosols [36].

Elevational ranges have been listed for some western states and provinces [2,14,36,39,52]:

    from 5,000 to 10,500 feet (1,524-3,200 m) in Utah
    from 6,600 to 11,000 feet (2,012-3,353 m) in Colorado
    from 6,700 to  9,500 feet (2,042-2,896 m) in Wyoming
    from 3,500 to  7,600 feet (1,067-2,317 m) in Montana
    from 6,900 to  8,200 feet (2,103-2,499 m) in Idaho
    from 6,000 to 10,000 feet (1,829-3,048 m) in Arizona/New Mexico
    from 4,020 to  5,160 feet (1,279-1,600 m) in California/Oregon
    from 3,950 to  4,950 feet (1,200-1,500 m) in British Columbia

SUCCESSIONAL STATUS:

Oregon boxwood is an indicator species in several western habitat types and plant communities. It is a climax shrub and can tolerate both sun and shade [23], but it usually indicates dry to moist, cool sites and well-drained soils [19]. Quaking aspen/Saskatoon serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)-Oregon boxwood community types in Idaho appear to be stable but may be slowly successional to quaking aspen-Douglas-fir/ Saskatoon serviceberry community types which might be in the Oregon boxwood phase of the Douglas-fir/pinegrass habitat type or the subalpine/pinegrass habitat type [39].

SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT:

The following months have been noted for budding, flowering, and fruiting of Oregon boxwood.

State     Buds        Flowers          Fruits       Source

CA                    May-July                       [40]
AZ, MX                April-June       June-Sept     [52]
OR, WA                April-June                     [19]
ID, MT   March-May    March-June       July-Sept     [15,42]
UT                    April-July                     [14]
CO                    May-July                       [14]
WY                    June-August                    [14]

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FIRE ECOLOGY

SPECIES: Paxistima myrsinites | Oregon Boxwood

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• FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS
• POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY

FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS:

Following fire, Oregon boxwood can sprout from buds on the taproot or from the root crown [10,35,42]. Some seedling establishment via short-term viablity seed stored on-site may also occur [49].

POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY [33]:

Small shrub, adventitious bud/root crown

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FIRE EFFECTS

SPECIES: Paxistima myrsinites | Oregon Boxwood

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• IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT
• DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT
• PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE
• DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE
• FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT:

Oregon boxwood can survive low- to moderate-severity fires that do not consume the duff or raise the soil temperature too high [10]. It can, however, be killed by severe fires [9].

DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT:

No entry

PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE:

Oregon boxwood usually sprouts from its root crown or from buds on its taproot following low- to moderate-severity fires [10,42].

DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE:

The development of Oregon boxwood cover following wildfire and clearcutting/ broadcast burning has been recorded for western larch (Larix occidentalis) and Douglas-fir forests in Montana [47]. Oregon boxwood appears to have a varied response to both wildfire and broadcast burning, depending on site [8,16,47]. Stickney tracked first decade postfire succession following a severe fire in western hemlock/ Oregon boxwood habitat type. Oregon boxwood exhibited a steady-state frequency pattern throughout the decade, with little expansion or reduction in distribution within the study site [48,49]. Some have classified Oregon boxwood as "neutral" in its resistance to fire, meaning that it has less than a 12.5 percent frequency increase or decrease when compared to average frequencies of those shrubs in unburned areas [53].

FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:

Nalley [41] developed models for predicting fuel loading in western redcedar/Oregon boxwood types in northern Idaho. Brown [6] lists bulk densities of some Montana and Idaho habitat types (in which Oregon boxwood is an indicator) for determining fuel depth. Fuel loadings and fire ratings for quaking aspen/Oregon boxwood community types have also been listed [7].

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Paxistima myrsinites: References

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Paxistima myrsinites Index

Related categories for SPECIES: Paxistima myrsinites | Oregon Boxwood

• Introductory
• Distribution and Occurrence
• Value and Use
• Botanical and Ecological Characteristics
• Fire Ecology
• Fire Effects
• References
• All Frames (for printing)