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Marlberry

Ardisia japonica

Also called Japanese Ardisia

Marlberry
Photo: Hamachidori, CC BY-SA 3.0

Marlberry (Ardisia japonica) is a low, fast-spreading evergreen shrub from East Asia, grown as a ground cover and in shade gardens and bonsai-style koten engei. It does best in dark, damp, humus-rich shade.

Family
Primulaceae (Primul family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Shade, Part shade
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist and never let it dry out completely.
Soil
Moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil or peat-rich potting mix.
Temperature
10–25 °C; hardy to about -10 °C, protect from hard frost in pots.
How easy
Easy
Native range
C. & S. China to Temp. E. Asia
Climate
temperate

About

Ardisia japonica, known as marlberry, is a species of plant in the primrose family native to eastern Asia, in eastern China, Japan and Korea.

Uses

A number of cultivars have been selected for growing as ornamental plants, including 'Hakuokan' and 'Ito Fukurin' with variegated leaves, 'Hinotsukasa', with pale cream-coloured leaves, and 'Matsu Shima' with pink stems and variegated leaves.

Other Ardisia plants

Japanese Holly · Shoebutton · Marlberry

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ardisia japonica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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