Northwest Blooms · Perennials
Podophyllum pleianthum 'Snowfall'
Snowfall Chinese Mayapple
- Family
- Berberidaceae
- Height
- 18 to 24 inches
- Width
- 18 to 24 inches
- Flower color
- Creamy white nodding flowers concealed beneath the foliage
- Foliage color
- Broad bright green duck-foot shaped leaves
- Bloom time
- Late spring
- Light
- Partial shade to full shade
- Water
- Regular
- Maintenance
- Low; provide mulch to retain moisture and allow foliage to go dormant naturally in autumn
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Wildlife
- Not noted for attracting wildlife
About this plant
Podophyllum pleianthum 'Snowfall' is a woodland perennial from China bearing broad, duck-foot shaped green leaves that create a layered canopy in shade. In mid to late spring, clear white flowers appear beneath the foliage, their pendent form lending a quiet, luminous presence before summer growth expands gently across the forest floor there.
Rhizomatous stems extend slowly to form measured colonies, and each emerging leaf unfurls with a smooth surface and softly webbed outline. Adapted to cool mountain forests of its native range, the plant follows a seasonal cycle of emergence, flowering, and autumn dormancy before returning with renewed growth in spring again.
Works well in
Borders · Shade Gardens · Woodland Gardens · Rain Gardens · Containers
Companion plants
Bleeding hearts · Solomon's seal · Ferns · Lungworts · Wild ginger · Hellebores
Design tip
Spring bloom is its headline moment, and it reads best in a group rather than as a single plant. Cooler light suits it, so tuck it on the north side of a shrub or wall where the soil stays even.
