Creeping Charlie
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Glechoma Species: G. hederacea
Binomial name
Glechoma hederacea L.

Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea), also called Ground Ivy, of the Mint family (Lamiaceae), is a viney, invasive plant considered a weed in lawns. Download high resolution version (1406x2381, 679 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ... Orders see text Dicotyledons or dicots are flowering plants whose seed contains two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. ... Families See text The Order Lamiales is a taxon in the asterid group of dicotyledonous flowering plants. ... Genera Many, see text Ref: Delta 2002-07-22 Lamiaceae, or the Mint family, is a family of plants in about 180 genera and some 3,500 species. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... A painting of Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as Carl von Linné   listen?, and who wrote under the Latinized name Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of taxonomy. ... Genera Many, see text Ref: Delta 2002-07-22 Lamiaceae, or the Mint family, is a family of plants in about 180 genera and some 3,500 species. ...

It is a species with many variations. Its size is influenced by the environmental conditions.

It has small, round or reniform, crenate leaves on long stalks. The bluish-violet bilaterally symmetrical flowers grow in opposite clusters of 2-3 flowers in the leaf axils on the upper part of the four-sided stem. In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. ... Wildflowers A flower is the reproductive organ of those plants classified as angiosperms (flowering plants; Division Magnoliophyta). ...

It is a common plant in grasslands and wooded areas, or on wasteland. It is sometimes grown as a potted plant, and occasionally as a ground cover. Groundcover is any plant used for the purpose of growing over an area of ground to hide it or to protect it from erosion or drought. ...

Weed Control

Creeping Charlie is a problem weed in heavy, rich soils with good fertility, high moisture, and low boron content. It thrives in shady areas where grass will not grow, though it can also be a problem in full sun. General Name, Symbol, Number boron, B, 5 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 13, 2, p Appearance black Atomic mass 10. ...

Small infestations can be controlled through hand weeding. Repeated weeding is required because the plant is rhizomaceous and will continue to grow from its roots.

In larger lawns, a combination of cultural and chemical controls is most effective:

1. Be sure there is sufficient sunlight reaching the lawn. Prune trees if necessary.
2. Get soil tested for potash, phosphate, and boron content. Fertilize as required. If boron levels are low, apply sodium tetraborate pentahydrate at 50 pounds per acre (6 g/m&sup2), either in late fall or early spring. Summer applications can injure the grass.
3. Provide sufficient nitrogen for the grass each spring. Generally 120 pounds of N per acre (13 g/m&sup2) is sufficient.
4. Consider chemical control using a product containing triclopyr. Ortho Weed-B-Gone with the purple label is a triclopyr-based formulation. Triclopyr is a systemic, foliar herbicide that controls broadleaf weeds, particularly viney and woody plants. Turflon is a commercial product that contains triclopyr. Triclopyr is extremely toxic to most landscape plantings, particularly roses and grapes, and is prone to vapor drift. Apply in the morning on a cool day with a light breeze, in accordance with label instructions.
5. Dicamba is also somewhat effective. It is active in the soil and taken up by the roots of the creeping Charlie, and will provide a modest amount of control, particularly if applied just before the plants flower. Trimec products and their generic equivalents contain dicamba. While vapor drift is not a major problem with these products, dicamba in the soil can accumulate to levels toxic to shallow-rooted trees with repeated applications or if excessive amounts are used. Measure carefully.

Generally the triclopyr will provide the most immediately visible results. But if a healthy stand of grass is not ready to take the place of the weeds, the weeds will return. Therefore, see to the health of the grass before using the chemicals. Triclopyr is a systemic, foliar herbicide in the pyridine group. ...

Uses

While often thought of as a weed for its propensity for spreading, the plant has culinary and medicinal uses. It makes an excellent and tastely herb tea that is rich in vitamin C, and the essential oil of the plant has many potent medicinal properties. The plant has been used for centuries as a general tonic for colds & coughs and its bio-chemical constituants are known to reduce inflammation and congestion of the mucus membranes. Pick a handful of the fresh herb, rinse it, and place in a teapot with hot water to create a pleasant, healthful tea. Dandelions, shown here in proliferation, are commonly thought of as weeds. ... Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient essential for life, used by the human body for many purposes. ... An essential oil, also known as volatile oil and ethereal oil, is a water-immiscible liquid produced by distillation, expression, or solvent extraction from plant material. ...

External links

• Ground Ivy at altnature.com