Eastern Forest Threat Center - Ground Ivy

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Ground ivy plants

Ground ivy plants

Charles Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

Ground Ivy
Glechoma hederacea

Ground ivy, native to Europe, is one of the first plants to bloom in the spring.

Keywords: Lamiaceae, perennial, herb; Common names: cat's foot, creeping Charlie, creeping Jenny, field balm, gill-over-the-ground, haymaids, robin-runs-away

Distribution Map Distribution Source Image

Threat Description

Ground ivy is a sprawling perennial herb in the mint family. Slender, square stems with numerous flowering branches grow 12-18 in. long and may lean on surrounding vegetation for support. Deep green leaves are simple, opposite, long-petiolated, kidney-shaped, bluntly toothed, ΒΌ-3 in. long, and have a musky mint odor when crushed. Two to five small tube-shaped flowers are borne in a series of whorls on a short erect flower stem. Flowers bloom from March to May, have two-lipped corolla, are blue-violet with purple spots on the lower lip, and produce pods containing 4 smooth nutlets. Shallow fibrous roots form at the base of the plant and at leaf nodes on the stem. Ground ivy spreads vegetatively by creeping stems and to a lesser degree by seed. It grows primarily on damp, heavy, fertile, and calcareous soils. It does not tolerate salinity or strongly acidic soils. It is located in disturbed areas, open woods, forest edges, shaded areas, lawns, gardens, pastures, waste grounds, and along road and railroad rights-of way, and is occasionally found on river banks and floodplains. This plant can form dense mats that eliminate other vegetation and is toxic to many vertebrates.