Ground Ivy
Glechoma hederacea
Creeping over woodland floors with violet flowers in Spring
NAME
Unlike the implications of the name the Ground ivy belongs to the
mint family (Labiatae).
HABITAT
hedges, woods and grassy places, usually damp soil.
DESCRIPTION GENERAL
Many members of the mint family look the same. Ground-ivy can be distinguished
by having only 2-4 flowers in each whorl and the top petal-lobe being
flat, not hooded.
Type - perennial
Height - 100-500mm
Flowers - March-May
FLOWERS
Flowers
- clusters of 2-4 towards stem-tips, directed to one side
Bracts - resembling leaves
Type - hermaphrodite or sometimes female
Size - 15-22mm
Colour - bluish-violet, spotted reddish purple
Stalk - much shorter than flower
Petals - 5, 15-22mm, bases joined. upper two lobes nearly joined,
hood-like, lower three larger
STEMS, LEAVES and ROOTS
Stem - creeping, rooting, angled upwards to flower
Hairs - soft, fairly long
Stipules - absent
Leaves - paired on stem, 5-35mm kidney-shaped to nearly oval, blunt, coarsely-toothed, base heart-shaped
Root - fibrous, stems root at intervals
FLOWER CLOSE
UP
Stamens - 4, under petal lobes
Stigmas - 2; on long, forked style
Sepals - 5, 5-6.5mm, bases joined, teeth nearly equal, pointed
Ovary - 1, deeply 4-lobed
FRUIT
Type - splits into 4 nut-like parts, egg-shaped, smooth
Size - 2-3mm
Seeds - 1 per segment, not released