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