Pellionia minima PB 04-307 (syn. Elatostema radicans var. minimum)

Jungle Spinach Urticaceae

A wonderfully diminutive member of the nettle family, this is the sort of plant that rewards getting down on your knees to appreciate it properly. Pellionia minima forms a neat, creeping evergreen carpet of slender, often purplish stems clothed with tiny, glossy, asymmetrical leaves. The foliage is only a few millimetres across, giving the whole plant a delicate, almost moss-like appearance, although botanically it is very much a flowering plant rather than a fern or bryophyte. Makino described it as a prostrate, creeping perennial from Japan in 1909. 

PB 04-307 is a Patrick Blanc collection that has subsequently entered horticulture under the name Elatostema radicans var. minimum; it was listed under that name by specialist nurseries. 

The plant favours humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in light to moderate shade and is particularly effective as a diminutive groundcover beneath larger woodland plants, between rocks or in a shaded trough. Protect from prolonged hard frost and drying winds.

Name: Pellionia minima Makino — accepted name; Elatostema radicans var. minimum is a synonym. 
Distribution: China, Vietnam, Japan and Taiwan. 
Flowering: April–July
Hardiness: H4 — approximately -10 to -5°C
Height: 5–10cm
Spread: 30–50cm