Family: Primulaceae

Origin, Description & Uses:
Lysimachia fortunei ‘Super Snow’ is a cultivated ornamental selection derived from a species native to East Asia, including parts of China and Japan. It is a low-growing, spreading perennial grown primarily for its decorative variegated foliage, which features green leaves edged in creamy white, creating a bright, contrasting groundcover effect. In favorable conditions, it may also produce small yellow flowers. In horticulture, it is used in shaded garden beds, borders, and containers where a trailing or carpeting plant is desired to soften landscape edges and provide visual interest.

Risks & Threats:
Although this species is currently not known to be naturalized in the Hawaiian Islands, it does possess traits that are cause for concern, including vigorous spreading growth and the potential to establish persistent patches in suitable moist environments. In tropical island ecosystems, plants with these characteristics can sometimes escape cultivation and compete with low-growing native vegetation, particularly in shaded or disturbed areas. For this reason, it is considered a high-risk introduction in precautionary assessments. To help protect Hawaiʻi’s ecosystems, it is recommended to choose low-risk or native alternatives when such options are available, especially for groundcover plantings in sensitive or naturalized-adjacent landscapes.

High Risk Traits:

• Congeneric weeds exist (L. nummularia, L. vulgaris, L. punctata are invasive)
  
• Broad climate suitability (USDA zones 4–10; 0–1500 m elevation)
  
• Native to subtropical regions (China, Japan)
  
• Shade tolerant
  
• Tolerates wide range of soil types and pH
  
• Produces viable seed
  
• Self-compatible (self-fertile)
  
• Reproduces vegetatively by creeping rhizomes and stem fragments
  
• Propagules dispersed unintentionally (yard waste) and intentionally (horticulture)
  
• Propagules water-dispersed (wet habitats)
  
• Prolific seed production
  
• Tolerates mutilation, foot traffic, and clipping

Low Risk Traits:

• Not naturalized beyond native range
  
• No weed classifications (agricultural, environmental, garden weed)
  
• No spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• Not allelopathic or parasitic
  
• Non-toxic to humans and animals (edible)
  
• No fire hazard (wet habitat)
  
• No wind, bird, or external animal dispersal
  
• No seed survival through animal gut
  
• Well controlled by broadleaf herbicides