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Abstract
Sarcococca Lindl. is a genus of woody shrubs that have valuable landscape characteristics including fragrant winter flowers, evergreen foliage, few pests and diseases, and shade adaptability. Nonetheless, they are underutilized as landscape plants. Additionally, a relatively new disease called boxwood blight, caused by Calonectria pseudonaviculata (Crous & al.) L. Lombard & al., is causing severe damage to members of the Buxaceae, including Sarcococca. Genetic diversity of Sarcococca accessions available in the United States was analyzed using flow cytometry and eight Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat molecular markers. Data from both techniques show that Sarcococca taxa are commonly misidentified. The first studies assessing Sarcococca susceptibility to boxwood blight using detached leaf and detached stem assays showed that Sarcococca are less susceptible to the disease than known susceptible boxwood controls. These studies provide basic genetic and disease resistance information for plant breeders, horticulturists, and plant pathologists interested in Sarcococca or boxwood blight management.