Pony-foot

Dichondra carolinensis A. Michaux

Convolvulaceae

Look closely in your lawn and you may spy the tiny flowers of Pony-foot. This wonderful little native plant is one of my favorite groundcovers. It has a trailing habit - rooting at the nodes and forming mats. With cute little kidney-shaped leaves it makes an excellent filler between stepping stones. Really hardy, it loves a variety of habitats from sun to shade or very moist to mostly dry (though it is more common to find it on damp ground).

Look for it while you are out and about. You can even find it growing around the trees in shopping center parking lots!

Behind the Name :

There are about 15 species in the genus Dichondra. They occur in warm tropical areas.

Synonyms for Dichondra carolinensis A. Michaux:

• Demidofia repens
• Dichondra evolvulacea var. carolinensis
• Dichondra micrantha I. Urban
• Dichondra recurvata B. Tharp & M. C. Johnston
• Dichondra repens J. R. Forster var. carolinensis (A. Michaux) J. Choisy

Definitions:

Dichondra -

From the Greek di (two) and chondros (lump of grain); Refers to the two-lobed fruit

carolinensis -

'ensis' is a suffix that means 'place of origin'; 'caroline' is the Carolinas (either North Carolina or South Carolina)

repens -

Creeping

Tags :

native Texas wildflower, Texas native wildflower, native plant, perennial, herb, full sun, partial shade, spring flowers, summer flowers, white flowers, greenish-white flowers, light-green flowers, attractive foliage, garden worthy, groundcover, ground cover, lawns, roadsides, disturbed sites, Morning glory family, Morning-glory family, Dichondra repens J. R. Forster var. carolinensis (A. Michaux) J. Choisy

• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: species account
• USDA PLANTS Database: plant profile
• USDA PLANTS Database: Dichondra genus profile