''Pachysandra'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of five species of

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s or

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...

s, belonging to the boxwood family

Buxaceae The Buxaceae are a small family of six genera and about 123 known species of flowering plants. They are shrubs and small trees, with a cosmopolitan distribution. A seventh genus, sometimes accepted in the past (''Notobuxus''), has been shown by ...

. The species are

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to eastern Asia and southeast North America, some reaching a height of , with only weakly woody stems. The leaves are alternate, leathery, with a coarsely toothed margin, and are typically long. The small uni-sexual blooms are greenish-white and produced in late spring or early summer. Variegated Jade among Pachysandra

Etymology

''Pachysandra'' is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

word παχύς (''pachýs'', 'thick') and the

New Latin New Latin (also called Neo-Latin or Modern Latin) is the revival of Literary Latin used in original, scholarly, and scientific works since about 1500. Modern scholarly and technical nomenclature, such as in zoological and botanical taxonomy ...

''-androus'' ('of or pertaining to stamens'), and is a reference to the thick

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 63, 287

Species

*'' Pachysandra axillaris'' - China *'' Pachysandra coriacea'' (sometimes classified as ''

Sarcococca ''Sarcococca'' (sweet box or Christmas box) is a genus of 11 species of flowering plants in the box family (biology), family Buxaceae, native plant, native to eastern and southeastern Asia and the Himalayas. They are slow-growing, monoecious, eve ...

coriacea'') - India, Nepal, Myanmar *'' Pachysandra procumbens'' - Allegheny Pachysandra (southeast United States) *'' Pachysandra stylosa'' - China (sometimes treated as a

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

of ''P. axillaris'') *''

Pachysandra terminalis ''Pachysandra terminalis'', the Japanese pachysandra, carpet box or Japanese spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the boxwood family Buxaceae, native to Japan, Korea and China and introduced to eastern North America. It is a slow-growing, s ...

'' - China, Japan3. Pachysandra A. Michaux
''Flora of China''

Cultivation and uses

''Pachysandra'' can grow in deep-shade areas and is thus well-suited and popular as

ground cover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as t ...

for shade gardens. The most commonly used species is ''P. terminalis'', the Japanese spurge, which is an aggressively spreading evergreen ground cover. It is very deer-resistant. The form 'Variegata' has leaves attractively variegated green and creamy white, and is slightly less invasive. 'Green Sheen' Pachysandra has extra glossy leaves and slowly spreads. All species in this genus prefer a well-drained soil with a high

humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...

content.

References

External links

Buxaceae Eudicot genera Groundcovers {{eudicot-stub