HerbWildPerennialMedicinal

Dichondra repens J.R.Forst. & G. Forst.

Kidney weed

Synonym: Dichondra micrantha Urb. (sometimes treated separately)

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Description

Dichondra repens is a small perennial creeping herb forming dense mats on the ground. Stems are slender, prostrate, and root at the nodes. Leaves are simple, alternate, kidney-shaped (reniform) to nearly circular, green, with long petioles and entire margins. Flowers are very small, greenish-white to yellowish-white, solitary or in small clusters in the leaf axils. Fruits are small capsules containing two to four seeds.

Diagnostic Characters

Vegetative

Low-growing creeping herb with kidney-shaped leaves and rooting stems.

Floral

Tiny inconspicuous axillary flowers.

Fruit & Seed

Small capsules with several seeds.

Distribution

Native range: Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Southeast Asia.

Introduced range: Widely cultivated as a groundcover worldwide.

In Pakistan: Cultivated in Pakistan as an ornamental lawn and groundcover plant.

Phenology

Flowering

Fruiting

Flowering: Spring–summer Fruiting: Summer–autumn

Ethnobotany & Uses

Ornamental Uses

Popular groundcover plant used as a lawn substitute.

Medicinal Uses

Traditionally used in some regions for treating wounds, inflammation, and urinary disorders.

Ecological Importance

Provides soil cover and reduces erosion.

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Where it grows on campus

This species is on the campus floristic list but was not pinned during the GPS mapping survey, so it has no map records yet.

Taxonomic Notes

Dichondra repens is easily recognized by its creeping habit and distinctive kidney-shaped leaves. It is one of the most commonly cultivated groundcovers in the family Convolvulaceae.