Dichondra

Dichondra
Dichondra micrantha
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Convolvulaceae
Genus:	Dichondra
Species
See text

Dichondra is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae. They are prostrate perennial herbaceous plants, with creeping stems which take root readily at the leaf nodes. The flowers are white, greenish or yellowish, 2-3 mm diameter.

The number of species is disputed, with some authors dividing the genus regionally into about ten separate species, while others accept only two species. The species listed below are native to tropical and warm temperate regions around the world.

Species

• Dichondra carolinensis A. Michaux
• Dichondra micrantha Urb.
• Dichondra repens J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.
• Dichondra argentea a celadon- or silver-colored cultivar

Cultivation and uses

Dichondra micrantha was very popular in southern California in the 1950s and 1960s as a grass substitute for lawns. Each "grass" leaf consists of a stem with a nearly circular or kidney-shaped horizontal leaf top, between 8-25 mm in diameter with a 20-35 mm petiole. A healthy lawn consisting entirely of Dichondra is fairly difficult to start, grow and maintain. In some places in the United States Dichondra is considered a weed. Yet in other places grasses are considered weeds: residents with dichondra lawns fear that their neighbors' Bermuda grass would penetrate their lawns and squeeze out the dichondra.

References

• Everitt, J.H.; Lonard, R.L., Little, C.R. (2007). Weeds in South Texas and Northern Mexico. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press.  ISBN 0-89672-614-2

External links

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Dichondra
• Flora of China: Dichondra
• "Dichondra J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?taxon_id=48006. 

This Solanales article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Convolvulaceae Solanales stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу Bourrelet List of Croatian sportspeople Look at other dictionaries: Dichondra — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda ? Dichondra Dichondra Silver Falls C …   Wikipedia Español Dichondra — micratha Systematik Kerneudikotyledonen Asteriden Euasterid …   Deutsch Wikipedia dichondra — [dī kän′drə] n. [ModL < di (see DI 1) + Gr chondros, grain (see CHONDRO )] any of a genus (Dichondra) of creeping vines of the morning glory family, sometimes cultivated in warm climates as ground cover …   English World dictionary Dichondra — (D. Forst.), Pflanzengattung aus der Familie der Convolvulaceae Dichondreae, 1. Ordn. 5. Kl. L.; Arten: D. argentea, D. carolinensis u.a. in warmen Ländern …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon dichondra — noun a creeping perennial herb with hairy stems and orbicular to reniform leaves and small white to greenish flowers; used as a grass substitute in warm regions (Freq. 1) • Syn: ↑Dichondra micrantha • Hypernyms: ↑vine • Member Holonyms: ↑genus… …   Useful english dictionary dichondra — noun Etymology: New Latin, genus name, from di + Greek chondros grain more at grind Date: 1947 any of a genus (Dichondra) of chiefly tropical perennial herbs of the morning glory family that includes some (especially D. repens or its varieties)… …   New Collegiate Dictionary dichondra — /duy kon dreuh/, n. any of several prostrate, creeping, tropical vines belonging to the genus Dichondra, of the morning glory family, esp. D. micrantha, often used as a grass substitute for lawns. [ < NL (1776), equiv. to di DI 1 + chondra ( < Gk …   Universalium dichondra — noun Any of the genus Dichondra of prostrate perennial herbaceous plants with creeping stems …   Wiktionary Dichondra — ID 26932 Symbol Key DICHO Common Name ponysfoot Family Convolvulaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity N/A US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution AL, AR, AZ, CA, FL, GA, IL, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NM, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, SC, TN, TX, VA… …   USDA Plant Characteristics dichondra — di•chon•dra [[t]daɪˈkɒn drə[/t]] n. pl. dras pln any creeping vine of the genus Dichondra, of the morning glory family, often used as a ground cover • Etymology: < NL (1776) < Gk chóndr(os) grain, granule …   From formal English to slang 18+ © Academic, 2000-2025 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”