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Pachysandra procumbens
Allegheny Spurge, Mountain Spurge

This plant is not currently for sale.  This is an archive page preserved for informational use. 

Allegheny or Mountain Spurge is a short, shrubby ground cover which barely reaches a foot tall. Grown in dappled sun to full shade, it spreads by rhizomes to form a carpet of semi-toothed, crisp blue-green leaves with silvery and purple mottling developing over the growing season. The leaves of Allegheny Spurge are typically deciduous above zone 6, but can be semi-evergreen to evergreen the further south one goes within its range, in the deep south. Small, fragrant, pinkish white flowers bloom in the spring before the leaves have emerged, along terminal spikes that are a few inches long. It prefers consistently moist soil, but shows some drought tolerance when established. Allegheny Spurge is one of the best groundcovers for shade, considered more attractive than the over-used, Asiatic Pachysandra terminalis. The native species grows slowly, can be grown with other perennials and/or shrubs and will not take over like P. terminalis. This species is considered vulnerable in all of its native range. It is reported mostly in Kentucky and Tennessee (in only one county in NC) and seems to favor soils with a calcareous base. This rare and interesting perennial should play a role in any shady southern garden.

Last Updated: November 27, 2021

Key Info

Scientific Name: Pachysandra procumbens Michx.
Common Names: Allegheny Spurge, Mountain Spurge
Family Name: Buxaceae (Boxwood Family)
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Uses: Woodland Garden, Naturalizing, Groundcover, Shady slope
Light Requirement: Dappled sun, Full shade-bright, Partial/shady
Moisture Requirement: Medium, Moist well drained
Leaf Retention: Semi-evergreen
Bloom Times: Mar, Apr, May
Flower Color: White
Special Characteristics: Rhizomatous, Tolerates shade, Tolerates drought, Flowers fragrant, Semi-evergreen, Reported to be deer resistant.

Additional Info

Habit: Low, clumping, perennial groundcover (subshrub) with medium texture, spreading by long rhizomes.
Height: less than 1'
Spread: Indeterminate
Growth Rate: Slow
Soil Conditions: Moist, humus-rich, acid to circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2) soils. Organic sandy, loamy soil (not clay)
Leaves: Leaves are alternately arranged, clustered in a whorl at the top of the stem. They are simple, ovate to suborbicular (almost round), 2" to 4" long x 2" to 3" wide, coarsely toothed at the apex but untoothed at the base, somewhat pubescent. They are dark green to a blue-green, depending on the light level, and as the season progresses a showy mottling develops in silvery-green and hints purple.
Flowers (or reproductive structures): Tiny, pinkish white, very fragrant, bottlebrush-like flowers bloom in terminal spikes (2-4" long) in early spring before the new leaves emerge, numerous male flowers above, female flowers below.
Fruit: Dehiscent capsule of very small blackish brown seeds.
Natural Distribution: Rich woods with limestone substrate. Rare.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 6 to 8
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: not available
Pollination: Bees and flies are attracted by the scent of the male flowers.
Wildlife Connections: Can be toxic to animals. Supports butterflies, in particular the larval stage of the Gulf Fritillary.
Downside: Avoid planting in heavy clay soil.
Propagation: By division of established clumps in early fall, or by layering, or softwood cuttings in spring.
USDA/NRCS Plant Distribution Map: View Map at USDA.gov
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Cure Nursery is a small nursery propagating and selling native plants for the Southeastern U.S. We are located near the town of Pittsboro, Chatham County, in central NC.

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