Actually, they're different families:

privet 

Any of about 40 - 50 species of shrubs and small trees in the genus Ligustrum 
of the olive family that are widely used for hedges, screens, and ornamental 
plantings. Native to Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Mediterranean, these 
evergreen or deciduous plants have usually oval, smooth-edged leaves; 
creamy-white, often odorous clusters of flowers; and black berries. The hardy 
common privet (L. vulgare), native to northeastern Europe and Britain and 
naturalized in northeastern North America, is used widely as a hedge plant. 
Mock privets belong to the genus Phillyrea (same family) and bear small, 
bright-red fruits that turn purple-black as they mature

Boxwood

hard, heavy, fine-grained wood, usually white or light yellow, that is obtained 
from the box (Buxus sempervirens) and other small trees of the genus Buxus; 
about 30 species of shrubby evergreen plants are in the family Buxaceae. 
Boxwood also refers to many other woods with a similar density and grain, such 
as Venezuelan boxwood, or zapatero (Gossypiospermum praecox), a South American 
tree of the family Flacourtiaceae; West Indian boxwood, a North American lumber 
trade name for wood from two tropical American trees, Phyllostylon brasiliensis 
of the family Ulmaceae and Tabebuia pentaphylla of the family Bignoniaceae; and 
a number of woods from Australian trees in the genera Eucalyptus and Tristania 
(family Myrtaceae), Alyxia (family Apocynaceae), and Murraya (family Rutaceae).


-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On 
Behalf Of Käthe Barrows
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2010 12:56 PM
To: Historical Costume
Subject: Re: [h-cost] Carved busks

A gardener told me that privet, like for hedges and ornamental bushes, is
the same as boxwood.  Boxwood has a buttery-fine grain for carving, so it
can take lots of little detail.  I keep thinking busks could be made of
pruned pieces from a privet hedge.

Saw this at Christies and thought some folks here might be interested in
> seeing them:
>
>
> http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?from=searchresults&pos=7&intObjectID=5294329&sid=81e2b2ef-e60b-4c2f-9764-2cd79e81f850
>
>
> They have an auction this month with several carved Welsh busks.


-- 
Carolyn Kayta Barrows
--
"The future is already here, it is just unevenly distributed."
-William Gibson
--
_______________________________________________
h-costume mailing list
[email protected]
http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
_______________________________________________
h-costume mailing list
[email protected]
http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume

Reply via email to