Glechoma longituba is an East Asian cousin of ground-ivy (creeping Charlie), native to Korea, China, the Russian Far East, and Vietnam. It isn't known to be established in the US, where the familiar creeping lawn plant is the European ground-ivy.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A creeping perennial in the mint family with square stems. After flowering, the stems run along the ground and root at the nodes.
- Leaves
- Round leaves in opposite pairs.
- Flowers
- Purple, two-lipped flowers that open at the leaf joints. In Korea it blooms in April and May.
Look-alikes
Ground-ivy (creeping Charlie)Glechoma hederacea
Any wild Glechoma in the US is ground-ivy, a European plant brought over by settlers and now a common lawn and woodland weed; G. longituba grows only in East Asia.
Why they get mixed upThe two look very similar and G. longituba was first described as a variety of ground-ivy.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- forest edges
- streambanks
- valley grassland
- Range
- Native to Korea, eastern and central China, the Russian Far East, and Vietnam. It isn't known to be established in the US.
- Preferred conditions
- Grows in moist, fertile ground and tolerates shade.
Growing it
- Propagation
- Spreads by runners that root at the nodes.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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