Synonyms: | |
Common names: | Creeping inch plant (English) |
Description: | A perennial, prostrate, creeping herb with purplish stems, rooting at the nodes and often forming dense mats. Stems much branched, producing roots at their nodes. Leaves 1-4 cm long, usually green with numerous tiny purple spots, and purple beneath; densely clustered along the stems. Flowers white, small, arranged in clusters. |
Notes: | Planted in gardens for ground cover and in hanging baskets and very rarely escaping in Zimbabwe. Recorded as an escape in South Africa (Bromilow, 2010). |
Derivation of specific name: | repens: creeping |
Flowering time: | |
Worldwide distribution: | Native of Central and South America and the West Indies; cultivated elsewhere and occasionally becoming naturalised. |
Growth form(s): | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Image last updated: | Saturday 16 August 2014 |
Literature: |
Bromilow, C. (2010). Problem Plants and Alien Weeds of South Africa Briza Publications, South Africa Page 325. (Includes a picture). |