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green carpetweed

Scientific Name: Mollugo verticillata

Family: Molluginaceae

Category: Dicot

Growth: Forb/herb

Duration: Annual

Other Names:

       

Green Carpetweed (Mollugo verticillata)

Green Carpetweed, scientifically known as Mollugo verticillata, is an annual plant recognized for its rapid spread and mat-forming growth habit. It's frequently found as a common weed.

Common Names

  • Green Carpetweed
  • Indian Chickweed
  • Whorled Chickweed
  • Devil's Grip
  • Carpetweed

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Mollugo verticillata L.
  • Family: Molluginaceae (Carpetweed Family)
  • Synonym: Mollugo berteriana

Distribution and Habitat

  • Native to tropical America.
  • Introduced and naturalized in eastern North America.
  • Found throughout the United States, except in Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah.
  • Commonly found in sunny, disturbed areas.

Morphological Characteristics

  • Annual plant, growing to approximately 0.2 meters (8 inches) in height.
  • Multi-shoot growth habit forming circular mats.
  • Stems are prostrate or rarely ascending, wiry, and much-branched, ranging from 2 to 18 inches long.
  • Leaves are thin, flat, and produced in whorls of 3 to 8 at each node.
  • Flowers are small (approximately 0.5 cm), grow in clusters from the leaf axils, and lack petals.
  • Sepals (5) are petal-like, white above, and greenish below.
  • Flowers have 3-5 white stamens and a large green ovary with a tiny tripartite style.

Ecological Role

  • A late-germinating summer annual.
  • Often found in disturbed areas.

Flowering Period

  • Flowers from August to September.