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Ruscus hypoglossum (Butcher's Broom) - Compact, evergreen sub-shrub with creeping rootstock to 18 inches tall and spreading slowly to make dense 3- to 4-foot-wide clumps of 3-5 inch long cladodes (modified stems which take the place of true leaves) that taper at both end and are held at branch tips. Curious small yellow flowers form in the upper axil of the leaf that are followed by a red fruit on female plants of this dioecious species.
Plant in morning sun or bright to deep shade and water only occasionally to regularly. It is hardy to 5-10° F and useful in USDA zones 7b and above. It is resistant to deer and rabbit predation. This is a great tall groundcover for under trees, because it is an attractive yet tough shade-loving plant that is not invasive and is drought tolerant in our mediterranean climate.
Ruscus hypoglossum grows in the forest understories from central and south eastern Europe from areas in Italy, the Danube Region into Asiatic Turkey and possibly south to Iran. The name for the genus comes from an old Latin name for prickly plants, and while some species are prickly, this one is not. The specific epithet is from the Greek words 'hypo' meaning "under" and 'glossa') meaning "tongue" which combined mean "below-a-tongue" or "sheathed beneath" in reference to the cladodes that extend beneath the flowers. Common names for this plant include Spineless Butcher's-broom, Mouse Thorn, Horse Tongue Lily, Israeli Ruscus and Holland Ruscus. This plant has been cultivated in British gardens since the 16th century and was introduced into the US in 1926 by the Bureau of Plant Industry (USDA) as BPI60359-1926. We have grown this durable plant since 1995.
This information about Ruscus hypoglossum displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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