Buchozia L'Hér. is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae (order Gentianales), established by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1788. It contains a single accepted species, Buchozia japonica (Thunb.) Callm., a plant long familiar in horticulture under the name Serissa japonica and commonly called snowrose or tree of a thousand stars.
Buchozia japonica is an evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub growing 45–60 cm tall. Its stems branch freely in all directions, forming a wide, bushy dome. The leaves are oval, deep green, and rather thick; when bruised they emit a distinctly unpleasant odour, which gave rise to a former synonym, Serissa foetida. The flowers are funnel-shaped and 4- to 6-lobed, approximately 1 cm across. They open first as pink buds and mature into a profusion of small white flowers; the plant blooms practically year-round, with peak flowering from early spring to late autumn. A wide range of cultivars has been selected for double flowers or variegated foliage, including 'Pink Snow Rose', 'Variegata', 'Mt. Fuji', and 'Kyoto'.
In the wild, Buchozia japonica grows in open sub-tropical woodlands and wet meadows across southeast Asia, from India and China east to Japan. It is extensively cultivated as an ornamental shrub and is one of the most widely sold bonsai subjects in Europe and North America, though it can be sensitive to changes in watering, temperature, and position.
Etymology
The genus name Buchozia honours the French botanist Pierre-Joseph Buc'hoz (1731–1807), a physician and naturalist who published extensively on natural history and medicinal plants.
Distribution
Buchozia japonica is native to open sub-tropical woodlands and wet meadows across southeast Asia, ranging from India and southern China east to Japan.
Cultivation
Buchozia japonica is widely cultivated as an ornamental shrub and is one of the most popular bonsai subjects sold in Europe and North America. It grows well in containers and responds to frequent pruning. The plant is sensitive to environmental changes — dropping leaves when over-watered, under-watered, exposed to cold or heat, or simply moved to a new location — but typically recovers when conditions improve. Fertilizing regularly through the long flowering period supports vigorous bloom.
Taxonomy Notes
Buchozia L'Hér. (1788) is a plant genus in family Rubiaceae, distinct from the unrelated fossil gastropod genus Buchozia Bayan, 1873 (family Mangeliidae). The plant genus was long suppressed in favour of Serissa Comm. ex Juss., but the name was reinstated for the sole species, Buchozia japonica (Thunb.) Callm., in a 2021 paper published in Candollea.
