Dichondra micrantha Urb., Convolvulaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Asian ponysfoot, Carolina dichondra, dichondra, false pennywort, galenga-grass, kidneyweed, lawnleaf, Mercury Bay weed

Spanish: alfombra

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Perennial herb, with most parts densely hairy; hairs white, ± appressed, forked. Stems stoloniferous, freely branching, purplish, forming extensive mats or low cushions to 5 cm high. Leaf internodes 1-2 cm long; petioles erect or nearly so, to 6 cm long, short on very exposed stolons. Lamina (5)-10-30 mm in diameter, suborbicular to reniform, membranous, glabrous or nearly so and dull above, with appressed hairs below; veins raised beneath, not impressed above; base broad-cordate; apex rounded or slightly emarginate. Peduncles 5-15 mm long, bract very small and inconspicuous. Calyx c. 2 mm long, densely hairy outside; lobes alternately linear-oblong and ovate-oblong, obtuse to subacute. Corolla 4-5 mm in diameter, greenish white, lobed to c. 1/2 way; lobes narrow-oblong to lanceolate, = calyx lobes at anthesis, becoming > calyx lobes. Anthers violet or violet-margined. Ovary densely hairy. Capsule usually deeply 2-lobed, with 1-(2) seeds per loculus, 2-2.5 x 4-5 mm, more rarely only 1 locule developed, indehiscent, slightly to strongly hispid, > calyx. Fruiting calyx to 3 mm long, fruiting peduncle recurved. Seeds c. 1.5 mm long, yellow to dark brown"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 555).

Habitat/ecology:  In New Zealand, "usually a lawn weed.  It has been widely planted as a lawn in warmer parts of N.Z. and in many places it has thrived and spread naturally to a limited extent"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 555).

Propagation:  Seed and stolons.

Native range:  Southern North America and the West Indies  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 555).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank (2010) (p. 34) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H50818 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, Randal T. (2002) (p. 6) Vouchers cited: West Maui: Oppenheimer H40011 (BISH); East Maui: Iltis H444-A (BISH), Oppenheimer H40003, Oppenheimer H60024 (PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, Randal T. (2002) (p. 6) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer & J. Kunna H60038 (BISH)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive cultivated	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 555)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Dichondra micrantha is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Dichondra micrantha as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Dichondra micrantha may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Oppenheimer, Hank. 2010. New Hawaiian plant records from Maui County for 2008. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2008. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 107:33-40.

Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, Randal T. 2002. New plant records from the main Hawaiian Islands. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2000. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 69:1-14.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2005. A tropical garden flora: plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 908 pp.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.