Single-spike chloranthus is a small East Asian woodland perennial that raises one white, brush-like flower spike from the center of four glossy, toothed leaves in spring. It is native to Korea, Japan, northern China, and the Russian Far East, and doesn't grow wild in the US. American shade gardeners sometimes grow it under the name Japanese chloranthus.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A low perennial about 4–20 in (10–50 cm) tall that spreads from creeping underground stems.
- Leaves
- Four leaves sit in two tight pairs at the top of the stem, so they look like a single ring. They have sharp teeth and a glossy, dark green surface.
- Flowers
- There are no petals. The white "bristles" are three threadlike joined at the base; only the two outer ones carry small yellow pollen sacs.
- Flowering time
- Spring; in US gardens it blooms around May to June.
- Fruit
- Small, round, pale green fruits about 1/8 in (2.5–3 mm) long follow the flowers.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- shady forest floors
- mountain woodland
- Range
- Native to Korea, Japan (Hokkaido to Kyushu), northern China, and the Russian Far East.
- Preferred conditions
- Grows in the understory of mountain forests.
- Flowering
Flowers May–Jun
Flowers May–Jun
Growing it
- Care
- Grown as a groundcover or specimen for partial to full shade, hardy in USDA zones 5–8.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Long sold and published as Chloranthus japonicus; botanists moved it to the name C. quadrifolius in 2014 after concluding the old name actually belongs to a related species.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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