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Snakebeard

Ophiopogon jaburan 'Vittatus'

Flower
Foliage
Snakebeard

The cream-and-green striped leaves of this lilyturf bring a cool variegated brightness to shaded corners, followed in autumn by clusters of violet-black berries that last well into winter.

White lilyturf Vittatus grows in the manner of a large, well-mannered Liriope — spreading slowly outward on rhizomes, building up a dense mound of irregularly striped green and white leaves that brighten wherever light is low. In summer, small white flowers emerge on spikes, and by fall the plant offers something more: violet-black berries that hold their color for weeks and add an unexpected jewel-like quality to the autumn border. The genus name traces back to Greek, combining ophis (snake) and pogon (beard), a pairing whose logic has escaped most gardeners but persists cheerfully in the taxonomy.

This cultivar handles a wide light range from full sun to full shade, though the variegation shows best with some overhead light filtered through deciduous canopy. It wants moist, rich, well-drained soil and does not appreciate prolonged drought. Division in spring or fall is the simplest way to propagate and to manage the slow but steady spread. In zones 7 through 10, it functions as a reliable evergreen groundcover with enough visual interest to hold its own without seasonal reinforcement.

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Zone7 - 10
TypeGround cover
FoliageEvergreen
GrowthModerate
Height8 in - 2.5 ft
Spread0 in - 1 ft
BloomFall
SunDappled sun
SoilHigh organic matter
DrainageGood drainage
FormClumping
TextureMedium
PropagationDivision
DesignBorder
FamilyAsparagaceae
Garden themesRock Garden
Resistant toDeer
Palettes