About Pachysandra procumbens Michx.
Pachysandra procumbens Michx. is a shrubby ground cover that grows 8-12 inches tall. It spreads indefinitely via rhizomes to form a dense carpet of matte blue-green leaves mottled with purple and white. This species is native to woodlands from North Carolina and Kentucky south to Florida and Texas. Its leaves are ovate to suborbicular, reaching up to 3 inches long; they are coarsely toothed at the apex and untoothed at the base. Leaves are typically deciduous in USDA Zones 5 and 6, but semi-evergreen to evergreen in Zones 7 to 9. Even where the plant is evergreen, leaves may look worn and tattered by mid winter. Tiny, fragrant, greenish white to white flowers bloom in 2-4 inch long terminal spikes in early spring, before new leaves emerge. The genus name refers to the flower's male parts, which are thick stamens. The specific epithet is Latin for trailing, a reference to this plant's rhizomatous ground cover habit. It spreads slowly to form a dense carpet 8-10 inches tall. Allegheny pachysandra grows well in a variety of soils from moist to dry, and tolerates a range of soil pH, as long as it is grown in partial to full shade. This woodland plant is widely considered very deer and drought resistant.
