pachysandra

American  

[pak-uh-san-druh] / ˌpæk əˈsæn drə /

noun

1. any plant of the genus Pachysandra, as the Allegheny spurge or Japanese spurge, the leaves of which grow in a rounded clump, widely used as a ground cover in the U.S.

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Etymology

Origin of pachysandra

1805–15; < New Latin: the genus name, irregular from Greek pachýs thick + Greek andr- (stem of anḗr man; andro- ) + -a -a ²; so called in reference to the thick stamens of the male flowers

Example Sentences

As a ground cover, pachysandra is old hat and I would encourage you to find other ground covers to use, but to plant them in late summer/early fall.

From Seattle Times • May 31, 2021

Instead, the hotel is clearly on the ground, horizontal rather than vertical, positioned next to a coral bell, pachysandra, periwinkle and some type of sedge grass.

From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2020

One particularly hot day, I was given the task of weeding a patch of pachysandra.

From Slate • May 28, 2013

As I was weeding my father’s back garden on the Upper East Side, I found a tennis ball in a bed of pachysandra.

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2012

Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon all made their way through the pachysandra and poison ivy, a characteristic personal touch, to call on her.

From Time Magazine Archive