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Key characteristics

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

Perennials

Podophyllum pleianthum 'Snowfall'

Snowfall Chinese Mayapple

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.

Light

Partial shade to full shade

Water

Regular

Bloom time

Late spring

Find this plant

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.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)