Sarcandra. Truly, this is one of the finest shrubs for the deep shade garden in the Deep South. On a shrub which gets to 30" and slightly wider are produced terminal clusters of bright orange-red berries. These are so persistent as to last over 12 months. It will tolerate moist, well drained soils. Flowers are not showy, just a greenish-white, but are produced in terminal clusters on each stem. It needs to be grown under evergreen trees, or a dense deciduous canopy, because the leaves will sunburn under thin deciduous trees during the winter. Almost unknown in Western literature but you will definitely fall in love with this plant. I have seen it growing in Raleigh, NC but zero degrees killed it to the ground, but it did recover the following growing season. We have sold many of these to the Sea Island Co. to use in landscaping around the Cloister Hotel there, and the head groundsman said that it is one of their finest shrubs to use under the canopy of the stately Live Oaks, Quercus virginiana.
Zones 7b-10
