DICHONDRA MICRANTHA

Family:- CONVOLVULACEAE

Common Names:- None

Synonyms:- Dichondra repens

Meaning:- Dichondra (Gr) Two-lumped. (the two-lobed ovary).

Micrantha (Gr) With small flowers.

General description:- Creeping perennial herb.

Stems:-

1) Pubescent, rooting at the nodes.

Leaves:-

1) Petiolate, simple, entire; blade 5-30 mm, orbicular to reniform.

Flowers:-

1) Solitary in the leaf axils, pedunculate.

2) Corolla small (2-2.5 mm), whitish or greenish, divided at least halfway into 5 erect

lobes.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, 2 lobed, each lobe usually with a single seed which are surrounded by

the remains of the crown.

2) Seeds. smaller than 1mm.

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Habitat:- Weed of irrigated lawns, flower-beds etc, in towns and villages at low

altitude.

Distribution:- Sparsely scattered in the Aegean region. A few records from

Peloponnisos, W mainland Greece and Kerkira. Probably of E Asian origin, locally

naturalised in S & W Europe. Rare on Crete, known from only three locations, Agia

Marina in the west, Malia central and Sitia in the east.

Flowering time:- Apr-Aug, occasionally at other times.

Photos by:- Courtesy of Wiki-Commons