green carpetweed
Family
MolluginaceaeScientific Name
Mollugo verticillata
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Mollugo berteriana
Habit
Germination begins late spring to early summer; however, the plant has very rapid growth and begins flowering as early as June and as late as September. It grows in a mat with a taproot.
Leaves
Leaves are sessile, smooth and either rounded above and narrowed to the base or widest above the middle and tapering to the base (spatulate). They appear in whorls of 3-8 at each stem node.
Identifying Characteristics
The plant forms prostrate mats along the ground (which resembles a carpet). Green Carpetweed is easily identified by its whorled leaves.
Flower Seed Head
Flowers appear in clusters of 2-5 blooms at the leaf axils or stem nodes. They are small (~5mm) and green to white on long slender stalks.
Seed Fruit
Fruit are small egg-shaped capsules with three chambers. The seeds harbored in those chambers as very small, dark brown, flattened, and kidney-shaped.
Where Found
Carpetweed can infest bare areas in thin turf, agronomic crops, flower beds, and gardens. It is more abundant on moist rich soils.
Growth Habit
Varies:
upright and nonwoody,
prostrate and nonwoody
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
pencil
Dominant Flower Color
white
Flower Symmetry
radial symmetery
Leaf Hairs
no hairs
Leaf Shape
spatulate
Leaf Arrangement
whorled
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Structure
simple
Leaf Stalk
Varies:
none,
shorter than leaf
Stem Hairs
no hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
not present
Root Structure
fibrous
Life Cycle
summer annual
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Herb