Dichondra repens Seeds | Dichondra
LATIN NAME: Dichondra repens
COMMON NAME: Dichondra
Plant Profile
Dichondra is a low, creeping perennial of the morning-glory family, native to the coasts and open ground of East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. It spreads by slender, rooting runners into a flat mat of small, kidney-shaped, bright green leaves, each about a centimetre across and covered with fine hairs.
The flowers are tiny, greenish and easily overlooked, and they are carried singly in the leaf axils. The plant roots at every node, so a single runner can cover a square metre in a season, and it stays below the reach of a mower. It is evergreen in mild climates and dies back in hard frost, returning from seed in spring.
Science & Biotechnology
Dichondra sits in the Convolvulaceae, the same family as the bindweeds and the sweet potato, though it looks nothing like either. The genus is unusual in the family for its creeping, non-twining habit and its kidney-shaped leaves, and its placement has been revised several times on the basis of pollen and molecular evidence.
The species is a popular lawn substitute in mild climates because it tolerates close mowing and shade better than most turf grasses, and it stays green through the winter where frost is light. Its weakness is wear: it does not recover from heavy foot traffic, and it thins in compacted ground. It is also a host for several nematodes that attack vegetables, which is worth knowing before planting it next to a crop.
Uses & Benefits
It is used as a low-maintenance ground cover between paving, under trees and on shady banks, and in the southern United States and Australia it is sown as a lawn in its own right. It is also grown in pots and hanging baskets, where its runners spill over the edge, and as a cover crop in orchards.
In Chinese folk medicine the whole plant is used for jaundice and for urinary stones, and it appears in herbals under the name jin qian cao. It is not a commercial medicine, and the usual caution applies to any home preparation. In a garden it is chiefly a green mat, useful where grass will not grow, and it combines well with spring bulbs, which push through it without difficulty.
Growing from Seed
Sow in spring at 18-22 °C on the surface of a fine compost, and cover very lightly; the seed is small and needs light. Keep the surface damp and expect germination in two to three weeks. The seedlings are tiny and slow, so a sowing is best made in a tray and planted out as small clumps.
Plant out in part shade or sun in moist, well-drained soil, and water until the runners begin to root. It needs little feeding, and too much nitrogen produces soft growth that is prone to damping off. Mow at two to three centimetres if it is used as a lawn, and rake out the dead thatch in spring to keep the mat tight.
Our Take
A flat green mat for shady ground and paving cracks, evergreen where winters are mild. Slow from seed, then it runs.
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