Common box vs Formosan Serow

Buxus sempervirens compared with Capricornis swinhoei

Key Differences

Common box is Not Evaluated while Formosan Serow is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common box	Formosan Serow
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Buxales (Buxales)	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
Family	Buxaceae	Bovidae (Bovids)
Genus	Buxus	Capricornis
Species	Buxus sempervirens	Capricornis swinhoei

Conservation Status

Common box

NE — Not Evaluated

Formosan Serow

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common box	Formosan Serow
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common box

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Libya, Sao Tome and Principe), Asia (Armenia, India, Taiwan), Europe (15 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador).

Formosan Serow

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Taiwan.

Common box

The common box (<em>Buxus sempervirens</em>) is a slow-growing evergreen shrub or small tree with one of the widest distributions of any species in its genus, occurring across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. It typically inhabits diverse terrestrial ecosystems, from limestone hillsides and rocky slopes to woodland understories and cultivated gardens. The common box has not been formally evaluated on the IUCN Red List. Long valued in horticulture and topiary, this species is widely cultivated and naturalized far beyond its native range in southern Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. Its dense, hard wood is among the heaviest produced by any European tree, historically used for woodworking and engraving. The species often forms dense thickets in natural settings, providing important shelter for invertebrates and small vertebrates. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.