Species

Dichondra repens

Etymology

Dichondra: two seeds
repens: from Latin repere meaning to creep, means creeping

Common Name(s)

Mercury Bay weed, Dichondra

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Dichondra repens J.R.Forst et G.Forst

Family

Convolvulaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

DICREP

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

None in New Zealand

Distribution

Indigenous. Three Kings, North, South, Chatham Islands. Found throughout the world

Flowering

September - February

Flower Colours

Green,White

Fruiting

November - May

Propagation Technique

Easy from fresh seed and rooted pieces, In some palces often naturally present in lawns. Prone in humid places to powdery mildew in summer. Tolerant of a wide range of conditions but not such a good lawn cover as D. brevifolia Buchanan

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 30

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

Where To Buy

Occasionally available from mainline and specialist native plant nurseries. A silvery-grey colour form of uncertain origin is currently popular at garden centres.

      

References and further reading

Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285-309

This page last updated on 11 Aug 2014