The generic name of Paxistima or Pachystima comes from Greek of "pachys" for thick and "stima" for stigma. The species name comes from being named after its botanic discoverer of William Marriott Canby in the 19th century. Native to some areas in the Appalachian Mountains from southwest Pennsylvania, west Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, a spot in northeast Kentucky and a spot in south Ohio. A rare plant in landscaping or gardening that one would have to find in a specialty nursery, as my biggest customer did in southeast PA. It is a sensitive plant and can die out with some kind of stress. I watched it for about a decade uphill above the little pond at my biggest customer's yard, and then there was a very wet year in 2015 and it died. It is a handsome and unique little broadleaf evergreen that is worth trying out. I recommend botanical gardens and arboretums to keep a good collection of this native species to help out the species. I found one good planted mass on the east side of Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois.

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A tidy, low-growing, evergreen ground cover that thrives in alkaline soil. Its attractive, glossy foliage will spread to 3 feet with little to no maintenance. It does not require shearing to look attractive.

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A useful evergreen groundcover; insignificant flowers.

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