Pachysandra procumbens (Allegheny Spurge)

Pachysandra procumbens, commonly called Allegheny spurge,  is an attractive creeping native perennial marked by deeply veined and splashy green foliage, occasionally tinged with purple and mottled with silver, as well as the bottle-brush clusters of pink and white flowers it produces in the early spring.

Allegheny spurge performs well in a variety of soil types and moisture conditions, provided that it is grown in part or full shade. Growing to only 6-12" tall, Pachysandra procumbens spreads slowly via rhizome and works excellently as a shaded groundcover plant. Flowers are fragrant and act as an early season pollen and nectar source for native bees; aesthetically and ecologically, this species is a great pick for shaded areas, underplanting in beds, or to replace the invasive Japanese Pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis).