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• Interesting Facts
• Taxonomy
• Physical Description
• Distribution
• Landscaping
• Growth
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Interesting Facts:

Taxonomy

Notes:

An accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

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.

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: June. • Flower Conspicuous: Small, petalless flowers on spikes

Seeds: Fruit: Small and inconspicuous. Greenish - white.

Foliage: Diamond-shaped leaves. Coarsely serrated on the upper third of the leaf. Has leaves so lustrous as to appear polished. They are deep green and look good in sun or shade. 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. • Foliage Shape: Obovate • Normal foliage color: Green • Underside foliage: Green • Juvenile foliage: Green • Mature foliage: Green • New foliage: Green • Spring foliage: Green • Summer foliage: Diamond-shaped leaves. Coarsely serrated on the upper third of the leaf. Has leaves so lustrous as to appear polished. They are deep green and look good in sun or shade. 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. • Fall foliage: Evergreen, no fall color. • Winter foliage: Green

Images:

Distribution

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: One of the best groundcovers 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. • Care: Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. As a ground cover, space plants 2` to 3` apart, (closer for faster coverage). Control weeds with mulch until the plants cover the area.

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: Soil: well-drained soil. • Minimum pH: 4.6 • Maximum pH: 6.0

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Partial to full shade

Moisture: Water Requirements: Water regularly, when top 3 in. of soil is dry.

Temperature: Heat Zones: High: 8 (>90 to 120 days) Low:1 (< 1 days) (map) • 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 21 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus: P. axillaries · P. axillaris · P. axillaris 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

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Notes

Contributors:

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 3, 2006.
• Merrifield Garden Center, Fairfax VA USA

Identifiers:

• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 710383