Butcher's Broom Plant Care
Ruscus aculeatus L.
Updated · Sources · How we source care data
Ruscus aculeatus, known as butcher's-broom, is a low evergreen dioecious Eurasian shrub, with flat shoots known as cladodes that give the appearance of stiff, spine-tipped leaves. Small greenish flowers appear in spring, and are borne singly in the centre of the cladodes.
Low to medium light
At a glance
How do you care for Butcher's Broom?
Butcher's Broom grows best in low to medium light.
Where Is the Butcher's Broom Native To?
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Djibouti
- DR Congo
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- The Gambia
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
What Is the Butcher's Broom?
Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus) belongs to the Asparagaceae family within the Ruscus genus. Butcher's Broom is native to Eurasia and some northern parts of Africa. Butcher's Broom is also known as Box Holly, Knee Holly, Wild Myrtle.
Butcher's Broom displays a low, spreading groundcover growth habit, reaching up to tall with a spread of approximately . Butcher's Broom produces small, inconspicuous greenish-white flowers.
What Light Does the Butcher's Broom Need?
Butcher's Broom thrives in low to medium light. Avoid placing Butcher's Broom in direct, harsh sunlight for extended periods, as this can scorch the foliage.
Light Requirement
Low to medium light
What Soil Mix Works Best for a Butcher's Broom?
Well-draining, fertile soil with added organic matter like compost or peat moss. Good drainage is essential for Butcher's Broom to prevent waterlogging, which leads to root rot and fungal issues.
How Do You Repot a Butcher's Broom?
Repot every 2-3 years in spring. Choose a pot one size larger than the current container, and ensure it has drainage holes to allow excess water to escape.
How Do You Propagate a Butcher's Broom?
Butcher's Broom can be propagated through division of rhizomes, stem cuttings. Similar propagation techniques also apply to butcher's broom plant care, which shares the same genus.
Is the Butcher's Broom Toxic to Pets and Children?
Pet safety not verified
The ASPCA does not list Butcher's Broom, so we can't confirm whether it is safe for cats and dogs. Keep pets from chewing it as a precaution.
This is a general caution, not veterinary or medical advice. If your pet ate a plant, contact your vet or animal poison control.
See all plants toxic to cats and plants toxic to dogs.
What Pests and Diseases Affect the Butcher's Broom?
Butcher's Broom is susceptible to spider mites, mealybugs. Inspect the foliage regularly, especially along leaf undersides and stems. Treat infestations promptly with insecticidal soap or neem oil to prevent spread.
Yellow leaves, brown tips or drooping? See common plant problems and how to fix them.
Keep exploring plants
Butcher's Broom is one of many species covered in the complete plant care and identification guide, which groups plants by genus, attribute, and popularity.
It belongs to the Ruscus genus — compare its care with other Ruscus species on PlantoScan.
Ruscus is part of the Asparagaceae plant family — browse all Asparagaceae genera and species.
Butcher's Broom copes with lower light than most plants — browse the full list of low-light plants.
Related Plant Care Guides
Closely related plants with similar care requirements:
Sources
- Scientific name & taxonomy: Ruscus aculeatus L., family Asparagaceae (first published in Sp. Pl. : 1041 (1753)) — World Flora Online record, IPNI name record.
- Pet toxicity: Pet safety not verified: the ASPCA does not list Butcher's Broom, so we can't confirm whether it is safe for cats and dogs. Checked against the ASPCA plant list; any other toxicity note on this page comes from PlantoScan's plant database.
- Care values(watering, light, temperature, humidity, soil, fertilizing): PlantoScan's plant database, filtered by automatic plausibility checks — values that fail them are hidden. How we source and check plant data.
Spotted a mistake? Email info@upvision.media with the page link — we check and correct reported errors.
Identify Plants Like the
Butcher's Broom Instantly
Scan any plant with your phone camera and get instant ID, care tips, water and fertilizer reminders, and health checks — all in one app.
Free
to download
iOS & Android
platforms
Light & dark
mode
100,000+
species