Plants of the genus Buxus (box) have small, smooth-edged, evergreen leaves and small, petalless flowers. Both male and female flowers are borne on the same plant. The female flowers usually are located above the male flowers and produce three-horned, capsulelike fruits. The common box (B. sempervirens), native to the Mediterranean area, has been used for centuries as a source of wood for engravings, inlays, musical instruments, and other articles that require a smooth-textured wood that can be highly polished. The tree is grown in many parts of the world as a border, hedge, or topiary (ornamentally shaped) plant because of its compact form and slow growth; it seldom exceeds 6 m (20 feet) in height. A dwarf form, B. sempervirens variety suffruticosa, often is used to edge walks in formal gardens. The Japanese boxwood (B. microphylla) and its varieties provide a wide range of ornamental shrubs.