Dichondra repens

Dichondra repens, commonly known as kidney weed,[2] Mercury Bay weed,[3] tom thumb,[4] or yilibili in the Dharawal language,[5] is a species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae and is native to Australia, New Zealand, and the Indian Ocean islands, Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues.[1] It is a perennial, herb with kidney-shaped to round leaves and small, greenish-yellow, star-shaped flowers.

Dichondra repens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Convolvulaceae
Genus: Dichondra
Species:
D. repens
Binomial name
Dichondra repens
Synonyms[1]

Steripha reniformis Sol. ex Gaertn.

Description

Dichondra repens is a perennial herb with a creeping habit, forming roots at the nodes. The leaves are kidney-shaped to circular, mostly 5–25 mm (0.20–0.98 in) long and 5–30 mm (0.20–1.18 in) wide on a petiole 10–50 mm (0.39–1.97 in) long. The base of the leaf is heart-shaped and its apex round or slightly notched. Both surfaces of the leaves are covered with soft, greyish hairs. The flowers are borne singly on a pedicel usually 5–60 mm (0.20–2.36 in) long, the sepals joined at the base with lobes 2.5–4 mm (0.098–0.157 in) long. The petals are pale greenish-yellow and joined at the base, forming a short tube with lobes about the same length as the sepal lobes. Flowering occurs throughout the year with a peak in spring and summer, more profusely from September to February with a peak in November. The fruit is a hairy, two-lobed capsule.[5][6][7]

Taxonomy

Dichondra repens was first formally described in 1775 by German naturalists Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster in Characteres generum plantarum,[1][8] and the lectotype collected by them in New Zealand,[9] is in the Sammlung für Völkerkunde anthropological collection in Göttingen.[10] The specific epithet (repens) is a Latin adjective meaning "creeping".[11]

Distribution and habitat

Kidney weed is widespread in all Australian States and New Zealand, and occurs on Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean.[1] It grows in forest, woodland and grassland on clay or clay-based soils that are medium to high in nutrients, and is a weed of lawns. Associated species in New South Wales are river peppermint (Eucalyptus elata), thin-leaved stringybark (E. eugenioides), woollybutt (E. longifolia) and snow-in-summer (Melaleuca linariifolia).[5][7]

It is regarded as a weed in California where it is also known as Dichondra micrantha.[12][13] It may also be naturalised in China, Japan and South Africa.[14]

Ecology

The native Pacific black duck (Anas superciliosa) eats the seeds of this species.[7]

Use in horticulture

This species is cultivated as an ornamental plant, and can be used as a lawn substitute or groundcover in gardens.[15]

Chemistry

D. repens uses acylsugars as plant defensive compounds (see Chemical defense § Plants).[16]

References
  1. "Dichondra repens". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  2. "Pimelea villifera". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  3. "Dichondra repens". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  4. "Dichondra repens". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  5. Johnson, Robert William. "Dichondra repens". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  6. Jeanes, Jeff A.; Stajsic, Val. "Dichondra repens". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  7. Benson, Doug; McDougall, Lyn (1995). "Ecology of Sydney plant species - Part 3: Dicotyledon families Cabombaceae to Eupomatiaceae". Cunninghamia. 4 (2): 308. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  8. Forster, Johann R.; Forster, Georg (1775). Characteres generum plantarum, quas in itinere ad insulas maris Australis, : collegerunt, descripserunt, delinearunt, annis 1772-1775. London. p. 40. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  9. Nicolson, D.H.; Fosberg, F.R. (2004). The Forsters and the Botany of the Second Cook Expedition (1772–1775). Koeltz Botanical Books.
  10. "Type of Dichondra repens J.R.Forst. & G.Forst". JSTOR. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  11. Simpson DP (1979). Cassell's Latin Dictionary (5 ed.). London: Cassell Ltd. ISBN 978-0-304-52257-6.
  12. "Dichondra repens (kidney weed)". UC IPM—Weed Gallery. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  13. "Dichondra micrantha". Calflora database. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  14. Dawson, Murray (2014). "On distant shores: New Zealand's natives as weeds abroad" (PDF). New Zealand Garden Journal. 17 (1): 10–24.
  15. "Growing Dichondra repens". GardenWeb. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  16. "Dangerous sugars: Structural diversity and functional significance of acylsugar-like defense compounds in flowering plants". 73. 2023. doi:10.1016/j.pbi.2023.102348. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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