Mollugo verticillata
Encyclopedia
Mollugo verticillata is a rapidly spreading annual plant
from tropical America
. In eastern North America
, it is a common weed
growing in disturbed areas. It forms a prostrate circular mat that can quickly climb over nearby plants and obstacles.
Carpetweed has narrow, whorled
leaves of 3-8 at each node
. Leaves are about 1-3 cm in length. The flowers are usually in clusters of 2-5, blooming from July through September. They are white or greenish white with tiny 5-15 mm stalks. Flowers quickly turn into fruit that is egg shaped and 1.5-4 mm in length. The seeds are 0.5 mm long and are orange-red.
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
from tropical America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. In eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, it is a common weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
growing in disturbed areas. It forms a prostrate circular mat that can quickly climb over nearby plants and obstacles.
Carpetweed has narrow, whorled
Whorl (botany)
In botany, a whorl is an arrangement of sepals, petals, leaves, or branches in which all the parts are attached at the same point and surround or wrap around the stem.There are four whorls in a general flower...
leaves of 3-8 at each node
Node
In general, a node is a localised swelling or a point of intersection .Node may refer to:In mathematics:*Node , behaviour for an ordinary differential equation near a critical point...
. Leaves are about 1-3 cm in length. The flowers are usually in clusters of 2-5, blooming from July through September. They are white or greenish white with tiny 5-15 mm stalks. Flowers quickly turn into fruit that is egg shaped and 1.5-4 mm in length. The seeds are 0.5 mm long and are orange-red.