Glechoma hederacea

Glechoma hederacea is a perennial in the Lamiaceae family, closely related to mint and thyme.

Hedera is the genus of the majority of the ivy varieties - referring to the creeping stems that root at the nodes, as an ivy does, forming dense mats of foliage that often carpet shady or moist ground.

The stems are slender and square in cross-section, a typical feature of mint-family plants.

The leaves are opposite, rounded to kidney-shaped, softly hairy, and coarsely scalloped along the edges.

They sit on long petioles and emit a pleasant, mint-like aroma when crushed.

Floral Morphology

From early spring to early summer, Glechoma hederacea produces small, funnel-shaped flowers of soft violet-blue to mauve, usually arranged in pairs or small clusters in the leaf axils.

Each flower has a two-lipped corolla—the upper lip short and hooded, the lower lip broad and three-lobed, marked with deeper purple veins that guide pollinators.

The flowers are arranged in groups of two to four in the leaf axils and borne on upright stems 5–30 cm tall.

The corolla is bilabiate, 1–2 cm long, with an upper lip divided into two lobes and a broader lower lip with three lobes, marked with purple spots on the upper lip.

These flowers emit a sweet fragrance that attracts pollinating insects.

The blooms are a valuable nectar source for early bees.

After flowering, the plant forms small brown nutlets (achenes) enclosed within the persistent green calyx.

Though modest in size, the plant’s creeping growth habit allows it to spread rapidly, making it both an attractive groundcover and, in lawns, a sometimes persistent weed.

Ecology

In Europe, in the wild, it grows in meadows, along roadsides, in uncultivated lands, and in deciduous woodlands.

Ground ivy thrives in shady or partially shaded places, preferring moist, fertile, well-drained soil, but it can tolerate a wide range of conditions and even survive in sun if the soil remains cool.

It has naturalized widely in North America, where it grows in woodlands, hedgerows, lawns, and along paths > more invasively than not.

Other names

Ground Ivy / Lierre Terrestre