Habitat

• native to the central Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States
• zone 4, possibly 3
• mostly found on calcareous soils and rocky locations

Habit and Form

• a low, multi-stemmed groundcover
• stems are fine and flexible
• slow growing evergreen
• 12" tall, spreading to 3' or 4' or more

Summer Foliage

• opposite, simple, evergreen leaves
• 0.25" to 1" long and less than 0.2" wide
• lustrous dark green color
• petioles are short; leaves crowded on stem
• leaf margins are coarsely serrate, mostly above the middle

Autumn Foliage

• evergreen
• foliage bronzes some in the winter

Flowers

• small greenish or reddish flowers
• held in small clusters
• blooms in early May
• not particularly showy

Fruit

• a small ornamental unimportant capsule

Bark

• not of ornamental importance

Culture

• prefers moist, but well-drained soil
• likes high soil organic matter content
• tolerant of high pH soils
• full sun is best, partial shade is tolerated
• avoid high fertilization

Landscape Use

• as an evergreen groundcover
• rock gardens
• filler among other evergreens
• low maintenance plant once established
• for high pH soils

Liabilities

• foliar burn in severe winters
• euonymus scale

ID Features

• evergreen leaves, crowded on stem
• dark green, lustrous leaves with coarsely serrate margins
• multi-stemmed groundcover

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by division

Cultivars/Varieties

• none