matplotlib · phobson · Mar 26, 2013 · Mar 26, 2013 · Mar 26, 2013 · May 13, 2013
diff --git a/doc/users/whats_new.rst b/doc/users/whats_new.rst
@@ -93,6 +93,12 @@ Andrew Dawson added the ability to add axes titles flush with the left and
 right sides of the top of the axes using a new keyword argument `loc` to
 :func:`~matplotlib.pyplot.title`.
 
+More robust boxplots
+--------------------
+Paul Hobson provided a fix to the :func:`~matplotlib.pyplot.boxplot`
+method that prevent whiskers from being drawn inside the box for 
+oddly distributed data sets.
+
 .. _whats-new-1-2:
 
 new in matplotlib-1.2

diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/axes.py b/lib/matplotlib/axes.py
@@ -6024,17 +6024,19 @@ def computeConfInterval(data, med, iq, bootstrap):
             iq = q3 - q1
             hi_val = q3 + whis * iq
             wisk_hi = np.compress(d <= hi_val, d)
-            if len(wisk_hi) == 0:
+            if len(wisk_hi) == 0 or np.max(wisk_hi) < q3:
                 wisk_hi = q3
             else:
                 wisk_hi = max(wisk_hi)
+
             # get low extreme
             lo_val = q1 - whis * iq
             wisk_lo = np.compress(d >= lo_val, d)
-            if len(wisk_lo) == 0:
+            if len(wisk_lo) == 0 or np.min(wisk_lo) > q1:
                 wisk_lo = q1
             else:
                 wisk_lo = min(wisk_lo)
+
             # get fliers - if we are showing them
             flier_hi = []
             flier_lo = []

diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/tests/baseline_images/test_axes/boxplot_no_inverted_whisker.pdf b/lib/matplotlib/tests/baseline_images/test_axes/boxplot_no_inverted_whisker.pdf
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/tests/baseline_images/test_axes/boxplot_no_inverted_whisker.png b/lib/matplotlib/tests/baseline_images/test_axes/boxplot_no_inverted_whisker.png