Ground Ivy

Micromeria brownei var. pilosiuscula

Lamiaceae

When you see this plant, you know it belongs to the mint family. It is very typical of the family. It grows all over our land (like crazy!). The only name I had from it came from my dad - Ground Ivy. I scoured all my plant books for it, but couldn't find it in any of them. So I took a sample to Dr. Larry Brown for identification. (He always IDs plants for everyone before our NPSOT group takes off on a field trip.) Now I finally had a proper name for this cute little plant I saw every day. If only I'd gotten my copy of the Manual of Vascular Plants of Texas sooner I could've ID'd it!

This sprawling perennial makes an excellent ground cover, spreading quite readily. It is nice when you mow it - a pleasant minty aroma. Also, as some of its common names below suggest, it will grow in very wet locations. Ground Ivy doesn't really seem to be very particular about where it grows... On our land, it is growing in all of the following conditions: gumbo clay, sandy loam, full sun, part shade, mostly shade, and very wet to normal moisture levels. Although it has small flowers, it would be a nice addition to your garden. Bury a pot in the soil with its lip about 2" above the surface. Plant the ground ivy in this pot. This will prevent it from taking over your entire garden.

There is not much information out there on Ground Ivy. I found one Internet source that said it was an anodyne, an emmenagogue and a pectoral, acting on the liver. I still need to verify this by finding a hard source though. Most plants in the Mint family have medicinal uses which would lead one to suspect that this one does as well. I will let you know what I find out.

Behind the Name :

Micromeria is a genus of about 100 species with a wide distribution.

Ground Ivy is also commonly known as Creeping Charlie, Browne's Savory, Aquatic Mint, False Pennyroyal, West Indian Thyme, Creeping Mint Charlie, Texas Micromeria and Small-leaf Mint.

Micromeria -

From the Greek micro (small) and meris (a part); referring to the tiny flowers and leaves

brownei -

[meaning]

pilosiuscula-

From pilos (hairy) and uscula (diminutive, small, lesser); meaning slightly hairy; look at the closeup to see the hairs (click the picture above)

Other synonyms: Clinopodium brownei, Clinopodium xalapense, Micromeria pilosiuscula, Micromeria xalapensis, Satureja brownei, Satureja brownei var. pilosiuscula, Satureja xalapensis, Thymus brownei and Thymus xalapensis.

Full Names:

In order to be botanically accurate, I will list the full scientific names including the botanists' names for those that I know. (Dave says it is overkill, but Oh well.)

• Micromeria brownei (O. Swartz) G. Bentham var. pilosiuscula A. Gray
  Syn = Micromeria pilosiuscula (A. Gray) J. K. Small
  Syn = Satureja brownei (O. Swartz) J. Briquet var. pilosiuscula (A. Gray) J. K. Small

Tags :

native Texas wildflower, Texas native wildflower, Texas native plant, perennial, herb, groundcover, ground cover, medicinal plant, full sun, partial shade, full shade, Spring flowers, Summer flowers, Fall flowers, white flowers, purple flowers, lavender flowers, pink flowers, white-green flowers, garden worthy, scented foliage, colony forming, lawns, ditches, disturbed sites, roadsides, swamps, marshes, stream sides, streamsides, Labiatae, Mint family

Related Links :

• Distribution map of Micromeria brownei var. pilosiuscula in Texas
• Distribution map of Micromeria brownei var. pilosiuscula in the United States