''Dichondra'' is a small genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the

morning glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics are in flux. Morning glory species belong to many genera, some of ...

family,

Convolvulaceae Convolvulaceae (), commonly called the bindweeds or morning glories, is a family of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species. These species are primarily herbaceous vines, but also include trees, shrubs and herbs. The tubers of several spec ...

. They are prostrate,

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

plants, with creeping stems which take root readily at the leaf nodes. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are white, greenish or yellowish, 2–3 mm diameter. Members of the genus are commonly known as ponysfoots and are native to tropical and cool temperate regions around the world.

Taxonomy

Etymology

The genus name is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

words δίς (''dis''), meaning "two", and χόνδρος (''chondros''), meaning "grain". It refers to the fruits.

Species

The number of species is disputed, with some authorities accepting only two species. The following species are recognised in the genus ''Dichondra'' by the International Plant Names Index (IPNI): *'' Dichondra argentea'' Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd. – silver dichondra — Mexico, Texas. *'' Dichondra brachypoda'' Wooton & Standl. – New Mexico ponysfoot *'' Dichondra brevifolia'' Buchanan *'' Dichondra carolinensis'' Michx. – Carolina ponysfoot *'' Dichondra donelliana'' Tharp & M.C.Johnst. – California ponysfoot *'' Dichondra evolvulacea'' (L.f.) Britton *'' Dichondra macrocalyx'' Meisn. *''

Dichondra micrantha ''Dichondra'' is a small genus of flowering plants in the Ipomoea, morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. They are prostrate, perennial plant, perennial, herbaceous plants, with creeping stems which take root readily at the leaf nodes. The flowers ...

'' Urb. – Asian ponysfoot *''

Dichondra microcalyx ''Dichondra'' is a small genus of flowering plants in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. They are prostrate, perennial, herbaceous plants, with creeping stems which take root readily at the leaf nodes. The flowers are white, greenish or ye ...

Meisn. Carl Daniel Friedrich Meissner (1 November 1800 – 2 May 1874) was a Swiss botanist. Biography Born in Bern, Switzerland on 1 November 1800, he was christened Meisner but later changed the spelling of his name to Meissner. For most of his 40 ...

– "Oreja de ratón — South America *'' Dichondra nivea'' (Brandegee) Tharp & M.C.Johnst. *''

Dichondra occidentalis ''Dichondra'' is a small genus of flowering plants in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. They are prostrate, perennial, herbaceous plants, with creeping stems which take root readily at the leaf nodes. The flowers are white, greenish or ye ...

'' House – western dichondra — Southern California coast. *'' Dichondra parvifolia'' Meisn. *'' Dichondra recurvata'' Tharp & M.C.Johnst. – oakwoods ponysfoot *''

Dichondra repens ''Dichondra repens'' is a small, prostrate, herbaceous plant native to New Zealand and many parts of Australia. It is occasionally known as kidney weed in Australia and as Mercury Bay weed in New Zealand. Most commonly called dichondra in Austr ...

'' J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. — kidney weed *'' Dichondra sericea'' Sw. – silverleaf ponysfoot

Cultivation and uses

Some ''Dichondra'' species are cultivated as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s, with

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

selections also available. ''Dichondra micrantha'' is used as a

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as t ...

. ''Dichondra argentea'' is a light silver leaved accent plant. The ''Dichondra argentea'' 'Silver Falls' cultivar is often used for trailing over the rims of potted plants, and has lower water needs. Missouri Botanical Garden horticultural treatment: ''Dichondra argentea'' 'Silver Falls'
/ref> ''Dichondra micrantha'' was very popular in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

in the 1950s and 1960s as a

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

substitute for

lawn A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. L ...

s. Each leaf consists of a stem with a nearly circular or kidney-shaped horizontal leaf top, between 8–25 mm in diameter with a 20–35 mm petiole. A healthy lawn consisting entirely of ''Dichondra'' is fairly difficult to start, grow, and maintain. Neighbors'

Bermuda grass ''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Although it is not native to Bermuda, it is an abundant invasiv ...

often seeded in, with ''Oxalis'' sp. and other weeds. In some habitats and landscapes of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, some of the non-native ''Dichondra'' species are treated as

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

References

* *

External links

USDA PLANTS Database: ''Dichondra''Jepson Manual treatment for ''DICHONDRA''Flora of China: ''Dichondra''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q140232 Convolvulaceae Convolvulaceae genera Groundcovers