Pony-foot, Carolina ponysfoot
Dichondra carolinensis
Convolvulaceae


Landscape Uses:

Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also butterfly gardens and water gardens and along pond and lake edges.

Ecological Restoration Notes:

Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description:
Small creeping herb.
Height:
About 1-2 inches in height. Spreading and forming large open or dense patches.
Growth Rate:
Fast.
Range:
Widespread in the eastern and central United States south to the Monroe County Keys; Bahamas.
Habitats:
Primarily disturbed areas, including lawns, but also found in hammocks and near water bodies.
Soils:
Wet to moist, well-drained to poorly drained sandy, limestone or organic soils, with or without humus.
Nutritional Requirements:
Moderate to low; it prefers soils with organic content, but will still grow reasonably well in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
Secondary line; tolerates significant salt wind without injury, but usually is somewhat protected.
Drought Tolerance:
Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements:
Light shade to full sun.
Flower Color:
Greenish.
Flower Characteristics:
Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season:
Spring-fall.
Fruit:
Inconspicuous capsule.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Horticultural Notes:
Easily grown from divisions of creeping, rooted stems, but keep moist at all times.
Comments:
Can be weedy in the garden, but covers ground and competes with less desirable plants.


Shirley Denton