Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Phyla nodiflora

Flowers and leaves. Photographer Mary Keim, Florida, USA

Flowers and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, near Forster

Carpet. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Three Springs, WA

Common name

Lippia, Carpet Weed, Frog Fruit

Family

Verbenaceae

Where found

Moist or wet areas. Western Slopes (these records may be incorrect idendifications). Occasionally coastal. Mostly on sandy soils.

Notes

Introduced prostrate perennial herb. Leaves more or less fleshy. Stems usually to 90 cm long, often hairy. Leaves opposite each other, 1-7 cm long, 3-10 mm wide, usually dark green, hairy or bristly, margins usually with sharp forward-directed teeth, bases sometimes continuing down the stems. Individual flowers usually whitish, sometimes mauve or purplish, with yellow centres, 2–3 mm in diameter, tubular, 2-lipped, with 4 uneven lobes. Calyx lobes longer than the calyx tube. Flowers in many-flowered clusters, initially almost round, lengthening to cylindrical, 5–30 mm long.. One cluster per pair of leaves. Flowering: mostly October–April

PlanNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Phyla~nodiflora  (accessed 31 January, 2021)