''Soleirolia soleirolii'' (, syn. ''Helxine soleirolii'') is a plant in the nettle family. It has a number of common names, including baby's tears, angel's tears, peace in the home, bits and pieces, bread and cheese, Corsican creeper, Corsican curse, friendship plant, mind-your-own-business, mother of thousands, Paddy's wig, and pollyanna vine. It has also been called Irish moss; however, it is not a

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta ('' sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and ...

, nor should it be confused with ''

Sagina subulata ''Sagina subulata'' ((syn. ''Sagina pilifera''), the heath pearlwort, Irish-moss, awl-leaf pearlwort or Scottish moss, is a species of flowering plant in the pink and carnation family Caryophyllaceae. It is native to Europe, from Iceland south to ...

'' or ''

Chondrus crispus ''Chondrus crispus''—commonly called Irish moss or carrageen moss (Irish ''carraigín'', "little rock")—is a species of red algae which grows abundantly along the rocky parts of the Atlantic coast of Europe and North America. In its fres ...

'' (an alga), which are also known as "Irish moss".

Description

It is a delicate-looking creeping

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

with juicy bright green or yellow leaves and multitudes of tiny white flowers. It grows close to the ground in mats and is sometimes used in ornamental

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

s alongside

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...

s and other moisture-loving types of plant. The leaves are usually slightly stalked, about 5 mm across. The minute flowers produce oval seeds.Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. ''Webb's An Irish Flora.'' Cork University Press.

Distribution

This species is native to the northern

Mediterranean region In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and wa ...

in and around

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and nearby islands, but it has been introduced and cultivated nearly worldwide as an ornamental and garden plant. It has been recorded from the north east of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

in counties Antrim and Down.

Habitat

It can be grown indoors as a

houseplant A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are us ...

and used in habitats for

amphibian Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbo ...

s. It prefers shade and moderate moisture. It can even grow submerged in swampy environments. In colder regions, the plant dies back during winter, but it returns with lush growth as the temperature increases. It is capable of

vegetative reproduction Vegetative reproduction (also known as vegetative propagation, vegetative multiplication or cloning) is any form of asexual reproduction occurring in plants in which a new plant grows from a fragment or cutting of the parent plant or spe ...

, so to eradicate it once it has become established in an area, the entire plant must be removed, or else it can sprout new growth. It is a common

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. ...

in many places. Nurseries grow several varieties, including gold, yellow, and white breeds, but the mossy-green type is most popular with gardeners. This species, the only member of the monotypic genus, ''Soleirolia'', was named after the French army engineer and plant collector Henri-Augustin Soleirol by his fellow French naturalist

Esprit Requien Esprit Requien (6 May 1788, Avignon – 30 May 1851, Bonifacio, Corse-du-Sud) was a French naturalist, who made contributions in the fields of conchology, paleontology and especially botany. From the age of 18, he was associated with the bot ...

. Soleirol, an amateur botanist, originally collected the plant in

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

. Patrick Bungener & Daniel Jeanmonod. Les frères Soleirol, histoire séculaire d'une confusion autour d'un collecteur en Corse. Candollea. volume 74. pages. 209-216. 2019

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from1=Q997566, from2=Q2706200 Urticaceae genera Monotypic Rosales genera Flora of Italy Urticaceae Groundcovers