Habitat

• native to China
• hardy to zone 5 and the warmer parts of zone 4
• Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas. For more information, Click Here.

Habit and Form

• semi-evergreen
• vining-shrub
• young plants or vine like maturing to a woody shrub
• size is extremely variable
• medium texture
• fast growth rate

Summer Foliage

• evergreen leaves
• opposite leaf arrangement
• leaf length is 1" or less
• serrated leaf margin
• dark green leaf color with silvery white veins
• extreme variable, depending on cultivar

Autumn Foliage

• no fall color

Flowers

• only adult plants flower
• greenish-white color
• 0.25" in diameter
• blooms in June
• not showy

Fruit

• dehiscent capsules
• 0.33' in diameter
• orange aril on seeds
• ripens in October
• persists

Bark

• green stems
• aerial roots along stems

Culture

• easy to propagate
• transplants readily
• tolerant of most conditions except wet sites
• full sun to shade
• pH adaptable

Landscape Use

• groundcover
• vine
• wall cover
• massing
• hedge
• bank cover
• rock garden

Liabilities

• euonymus scale
• anthracnose
• powdery mildew
• aphids
• crown gall
• cultivars revert

ID Features

• green stems
• serrated leaves
• opposite leaf arrangement
• white leaf midribs

Propagation

• by cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

'Blondy' - A new variegated cultivar with bright color, this plant features leaves marked with a prominent central yellow blotch. The stems are also yellow.

'Coloratus' (also known as var. coloratus) - This cultivar is a vigorous groundcover form with dark, glossy green foliage. In winter, the leaves (especially the undersides) turn an attractive raspberry or plum color.

'Emerald Gaiety' - This is a small erect shrub (to 4' tall) or small vine if planted near a structure, this popular form features leaves variegated with a wide white margin.

'Emerald 'n Gold' - This cultivar is a common low prostrate form, growing to 2' tall, with lustrous green leaves edged with yellow.

'Harlequin' - A newer form with a low, trailing habit under 10" tall, 'Harlequin' has leaves that are speckled with green, yellow, cream and pink.

'Ivory Jade' - This selection forms a mound 3' tall and twice as wide. The round leaves are deep green and sport a white margin.

'Kewensis' - One of the smallest forms, this plant has tiny leaves and resembles an herbaceous perennial. The green leaves are less than .5" long and have white venation. The plant forms a trailing groundcover (under 6" tall) or finely-textured vine on vertical supports.

'Minimus' - This is an older, low-growing form with very small leaves (less than 0.5" long). Very often there will be branch reversions to the species. Commonly used as a groundcover.

'Moonshadow' - This is a newer selection with wavy leaves that are bright yellow with a thin green margin. It grows 1' to 2' tall and remains dense and compact.

var. radicans - This variety is a variable form that usually forms a low, trailing groundcover or climbing vine. The leaves are shiny green and the plant may flower and fruit. The plant produces variegated sports spontaneously, and overall this variety is unstable.

'Sarcoxie' - This is an upright form that grows to 4' tall or slightly larger. Foliage is dark, glossy green with whitish veins. It tends to produce copious amounts of fruit. Similar is 'Greenlane'.

'Sunspot' - An older, popular cultivar, 'Sunspot' has lustrous green leaves with yellow centers. The color is held year-round, making this 3' tall mounded form popular for mass plantings.

'Vegetus' (also listed as var. vegeta) - This variable plant can form an upright shrub to 6' tall or a clinging vine if grown near a support. It is a very hardy form with thick, deep green leaves and abundant fruit production. Long-term experience indicates high susceptibility to scale infestation.