| Your Home Page | Contact Us |

• Conservation Status
• Taxonomy
• Physical Description
• Distribution
• Landscaping
• Habitat
• Reproduction
• Growth
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
• More Info
• Notes
• Keep Exploring

Conservation Status

Uses as Product: Berry/Nut/Seed Product: No • Christmas Tree Product: No • Fodder Product: No • Fuelwood Product: None • Lumber Product: No • Naval Store Product: No • Nursery Stock Product: Yes • Post Product: No • Protein Potential: Low • Pulpwood Product: No • Veneer Product: No

Edibility: Palatable Browse Animal: Low • Palatable Graze Animal: Low • Palatable Human: No • Toxicity: None

Taxonomy

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000.

Place of publication: Abh. Math.-Phys. Cl. Königl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. 4(2):142. 1845

Name verified on 27-Dec-1995 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 22-Jun-1999

Physical Description

ID Features: Low evergreen groundcover. Rhizomatous growth. Foliage in terminal whorls. Diamond-shaped leaves with coarse serrations at the end of each leaf. •

Habit: An evergreen groundcover that spreads by rhizomes and forms a dense and solid carpet of vegetation. • Growth Form: Rhizomatous • Shape and Orientation: Erect

Flowers: Blooms in late March and early April. Small white flowers in terminal spikes. Spikes are 1" to 2" long. Flowers are not usually that numerous and are not especially showy. • Bloom Period: Early Summer • Flower Color: White • Flower Conspicuous: Yes

Seeds: Seed Spread Rate: None • Fruit: Small and inconspicuous. Greenish - white. • Fruit/Seed Conspicuous: No • Cold Stratification Required: No

Foliage: Foliage Color: Dark Green • Summer foliage: Leaves are held clustered at the tips of shoots in whorls, with several. inches of naked basal stem present. Leaf arrangement is alternate. Leaves are 2" to 3.5" long and 0.5" to 1.25" wide. Diamond-shaped leaves. Coarsely serrated on the upper third of the leaf. Leaves are glossy, dark green. • Fall foliage: Evergreen, no fall color. • Foliage Porosity Summer: Dense • Foliage Porosity Winter: Dense • Foliage Texture: Medium • Fall Conspicuous: No • Leaf Retention: Yes

Images:

Distribution

Range and Population

North America

Native: Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang.

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: One of the best groundcover for shade. Good for erosion control, sloped shady banks. Works well under shade trees where lawn growth is poor. • Liabilities: Somewhat overused and common. Volutella leaf blight and stem canker can be serious in excessively dense. or stressed plantings. Scale. Will yellow in too much sun. Leaf removal can be challenging.

Habitat

Zone 4.

Reproduction

Duration: Perennial • Coppice Potential: No • Progagated by Bulbs: No • Propagated by Bare Root: No • Propagated by Container: Yes • Propagated by Corms: No • Propagated by Cuttings: No • Propagated by Seed: No • Propagated by Sod: No • Propagated by Sprigs: Yes • Propagated by Tubers: No • Fruit/Seed Persistence: No • Fruit/Seed Persistence: No

Growth

Culture: Easily transplanted. Requires weed control during establishment. Once established, relatively easily grown. Needs partial shade to shade. Soils that are moist slightly acidic and high in organic matter are best. Avoid poorly drained, heavy clay soils.

Soil: Adapted to Medium Textured: Adapted to Medium Textured Soils • Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils: Yes • Anaerobic Tolerance: None • Salinity Tolerance: Low • CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium • Minimum pH: 5.5 • Maximum pH: 7.5 • Fertility Requirement: High

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade. • Shade Tolerance: Tolerant

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: Low • Minimum Precipitation: 36 • Maximum Precipitation: 60 • Moisture Use: High

Temperature: Minimum Temperature (F): -28 • Minimum Frost Free Days: 100 • Cold Hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b. (map)

Similar Species

Members of the genus Pachysandra:

There are approximately 22 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus: P. axillaries · P. axillaris · P. axillaris stylosa · P. axillaris subsp. stylosa · P. axillaris var. glaberrima · P. axillaris var. stylosa · P. bodinieri · P. coriacea · P. erecta · P. mairei · P. procumbens (Alleghany Pachysandra) · P. procumbens 'Eco Treasure' · P. procumbens 'Forest Green' · P. procumbens 'Pixie' · P. stylosa · P. termialis · P. terminalis (Japanese Pachysandra) · P. terminalis 'Green Carpet' (Green Carpet Japanese Pachysandra) · P. terminalis 'Green Sheen' (Green Sheen Japanese Spurge) · P. terminalis 'Variegata' (Japanese Spurge) · P. tricarpa · P. variegata

Bibliography

• Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959–. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. (F China)
• Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage. (Zander ed13)
• Encke, F. et al. 1993. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 14. Auflage. (Zander ed14)
• Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. (Dict Gard)
• Radford, A. E. et al. 1964. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. (F Carolin) [natzd.].

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CA L | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
• Translate this page using Google: Arabic | Chinese | Deutsch | Español | Français | Italiano | Japanese | Korean | Português

Notes

Contributors:

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 3, 2006.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 28, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 6 providers.
• The International Plant Names Index. Accessed Jan 19, 2007.
• UConn Plant Database of Trees, Shrubs, and Vines. Accessed May 28, 2006.
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Plant Characteristics Database. Accessed April 17, 2006.
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 24, 2008)

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 28, 2008:

• Finnish Museum of Natural History: Botanic Garden of the Finnish Museum of Natural History
• GBIF-Sweden: Herbarium of Oskarshamn (OHN)
• GBIF-Sweden: Plants (GBIF-SE:Artdatabanken)
• Missouri Botanical Garden
• National Institute of Genetics, ROIS: Herbarium Specimens of Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo Pref., Japan
• UK National Biodiversity Network: Botanical Society of the British Isles - Vascular Plants Database
• USDA PLANTS: USDA PLANTS Database

Identifiers:

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 504090
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 291523
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:353208-1
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDBUX02020
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: PATE11
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 91