Are there lookalikes? The flowers are small and range from pink to purple, and they bloom in the spring. Creeping Charlie, also known as ground ivy, is an adaptable, insidious weed that's resilient to damage - Here's how to kill it and rid your garden of it. The perennial plant has round, bright golden leaves resembling coins and tiny, bright yellow flowers. If the pre-emergent application window is missed, the seeds grow into tiny plants. This method will take forever with large plants and only offers you limited success. Native Americans used ground ivy to treat colds, hives, and measles. Fortunately, we have three methods of getting rid of creeping Charlie from your yard for good. Like other members of the mint family, creeping Charlie has square stems. I wasnt either and looked it up. It is a plant native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. Need some simple, practical solutions for living healthier and greener? Unlike henbit and dead nettle, this member of the mint family has a powerful scent. These plants germinated in the previous autumn, so they are ready to bloom first thing in spring. Unlike garlic mustard, neither of these species send up tall flowering stalks and their flowers are purple and irregular. This plant has many common names. Who do I need to contact to buy the plants? Find Out Today, Actaea Simplex Brunette: Growth and Care Guide, Kumquat Tree Florida: Growth and Care Guide, Cedar Trees in Florida: How to Grow and Care for Cedars, Dahoon Holly Tree (Ilex Cassine): Florida Care Guide. Yellow sorrel has yellow flowers too although sometimes they are closed up. Reply. Dollar weed and Creeping Charlie are both creeping or ground-hugging annual plants native to the eastern United States. He suggests making an infusion of 1 teaspoon dried ground ivy leaves and 1 cup of boiling water or 1-4ml of tinctured ground ivy 3 times per day to treat congestion and cough. Find out more and grab your copy here. Furthermore, the leaves have a dark green topside with a purple or light green underside. Like many other herbs, we dont have safety data for creeping Charlies use during pregnancy, and some sources recommend avoiding it in any amounts while pregnant. The plants in the nettle family have single, hairy, erect stalks, square stems, and heart-shaped leaves with serrated edges and pointed tips. Its actions are listed as, "Anti-catarrhal, astringent, expectorant, diuretic, vulnerary and stimulant". The "Modern Love" actress responded to look-alike comparisons in a 2015 interview with "Extra," saying, "I've never heard that! Creeping Charlie is a green vine with round, scalloped-edge leaves and small purple flowers. It spreads efficiently and quickly through stolons (creeping stems), seeds, or rhizomes. The Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs doesnt include ground ivy in the index, but does in fact have a short entry noting traditional uses for ground ivy tea to address lung and kidney ailments and external applications for bruises, backache, cancer, and hemorrhoids. Her first book, Everything Elderberry, released in September 2020 and has been a #1 new release in holistic medicine, naturopathy, herb gardening, and other categories. The plant is native to Europe but grown in the US and in other places as ground cover. The plant grows low on the ground and doesnt usually exceed more than 12 inches (30 cm) in height. Both dead nettle and henbit are also edible, so in this case if you make an error, it wont be a big deal. Other creeping Charlie uses include treating tinnitus, sciatica, bruises, indigestion, tuberculosis, bronchitis, inflammation of the eyes, and lead poisoning, among many other conditions. In the United States, Creeping Charlie grows in nearly every state. The story I tell: To me, there are two great identification features for chickweed. Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is an annual weed from the mint family, Lamiaceae. (Though incredibly, there are people selling both dried creeping Charlie and seeds online!). In 2017, Camille shared an Instagram photo wearing a red lip and a burgundy jacket, which resulted in both fans and headlines . This plant is native to the British Isles, but it has been introduced to North America, now considered an invasive species in many states. It's best to put a newspaper or cardboard barrier and then a second layer of a tarp to block sunlight. For these reasons, creeping Charlie is often considered a weed. Kristen Anne Bell (born 1980) is an American actress and singer. Broadleaf Lawn Weeds. Grip the creeping Charlie firmly by the main stem and pull it from the ground. Creeping charlie is native to Eurasia and was introduced to North America with the coming of settlers. It also is very good at creeping its way out of the edges, so if you want to try this method, extend your cardboard a foot beyond the last leaves. Looking at the 2 links Janet posted I really think it is g. carolinianum. It is difficult to eradicate. A member of the mint family, some find the taste somewhat resembles mint with some bitterness or astringency. The flowers produce big green seed pods, each containing 4 brownish seeds. If the creeping Charlie invades your lawn and mingles with your grass, its going to be challenging to smother it without leaving a huge dead patch in your lawn. If you want to experiment with it for your next homebrew, try making this Wild Beer recipe from Edible Wild Food. Moreover, it has woody stems and dark-green leaves. Leaves are often shiny, but covered with fine hairs, which you can see in the photo below. Would you be able to freeze creeping Charlie in order to preserve the flavour and medicinal qualities for use in tea later in the year? Instead, patiently wait until after the autumns first frost, then apply broadleaved herbicides, often in combination products. The leaves are heart-shaped and have scalloped edges. Creeping Charlie, also known as ground ivy, is an adaptable, insidious weed thats resilient to damage, making it incredibly challenging to remove from the garden. Your email address will not be published. Its also going to be a real effort the try and dig it up. However, if there are only a few small creeping Charlie plants in your yard, then pulling by hand is a good choice. Grieve does mention that the furry galls that can form on the leaves in autumn if punctured by the Cynips glechomae wasp have a strong flavour of the plant and are sometimes eaten by the peasantry of France.. Creeping Charlie ( Glechoma hederacea ), also known under names like ground-ivy, alehoof, catsfoot, field balm, or run-away-robin, is a perennial, evergreen plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. Ask yourself if these plants really must be managed. However, there is no guarantee that the plant wont return next year, even if you manage to kill it with one of these methods. Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) Photo credit:Ansel Oommen, Bugwood.org. Creeping Charlie, also known as Glechoma hederacea, is a weed common throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. One is the single line of hair on the stems. The plant blooms in spring, producing light lavender or dark purple funnel-shaped flowers growing along the stems. Remove the creeping charlie as it regrows. Here are 3 creeping Charlie look-alikes. Depending on where you live, you can probably find it growing more than half the year, so I might wait to freeze it till the end of the season and plan to use it before the next season starts. Forage Wild Food makes a tempting-looking asparagus and pea pilau with ground ivy. Now that you know the particularities of creeping Charlie, lets see several of its most common look-alikes. Dichondra leaves indent where they connect to the petiole (leaf stem). If you have underlying health conditions or take medications, you should always consult a physician before trying a new herb. How to describe creeping Charlies unique flavor? More about me and my green projects here. The stems branch from the base and are sometimes upright. Do you love finding nutritious and delicious wild edibles? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A close cousin of purple dead nettle is henbit (Lamium amplexicaule). Today, this plant is widespread throughout many states of the United States. Her ancestry is Polish (mother) and German, English, Irish, and Scottish (father). Creeping Charlie ( Glechoma hederacea) was brought to the United States likely for food and medicinal reasons. Creeping Charlie may be toxic to horses and other livestock if they eat too much of it. There are those of us who tolerate or even encourage plant diversity in our lawns. We need to tell them apart because ground ivy is . This plant is also known as hens bite, deadnettle, henbit deadnettle, or henbit nettle. Cover your tea while it steeps to retain the volatile oils. Honey bees and bumble bees visit to gather nectar. Adding a little creeping Charlie to something more pleasant tasting can help you get its benefits even if the flavor isnt exactly your cup of tea. What are your favorite creeping Charlie uses? Only apply lawn fertilizer when indicated by a soil fertility test. 4. That said, several plants resemble creeping Charlie, and here are the three major ones: This is a herbaceous, evergreen groundcover plant native to Europe and Asia. (USDA Plant Hardiness Zones), Why is My Phlox Not Flowering? The flowers have five petals with a white and purple combination of colors. Creeping Charlie has a minty smell when mowed or crushed. It makes desirable groundcovers since it creates beautiful, dense mats. Herbalists classify ground ivy as an antiviral, expectorant, diuretic, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, anodyne, digestive, anticatarrhal, antidepressant, anti-spasmodic, antiulcerogenic, tonic, astringent, carminative, decongestant, nervine, and vulnerary. Creeping Charlie prefers shady, moist soils, but grows just fine in sun and drier soils as well. Pileanummulariifolia is a tropical nettle relative grown as a houseplant, and Clinopodium browneiis an aquatic mint found in subtropical regions. Thank you. Lawn Weed Identification - Three Weed Groups. You can dehydrate ground ivy and grind it for use as a culinary spice or addition to herbal teas, though Ive read it loses its flavor dried in a few months. Ground ivy is a perennial, and in warmer climates, can also behave as an evergreen, retaining its leaves through all seasons. Susun Weed steeps ground ivy in vinegar to use on salads. So, there is no risk of poisoning if these two plants are mistaken for each other. A small number of scientific studies have investigated creeping Charlies anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-cancer properties, but this ubiquitous herb hasnt attracted the attention that some other medicinal plants have, like elderberry, for instance. Type above and press Enter to search. Weeds that are not "grass-like" are referred to as broadleaf weeds. Creeping Charlie is a perennial weed that was brought to North America by early European settlers to be used as ground cover. Heres an easy goldenrod tea recipe to try. Common lambsquarters ( Chenopodium album L.) is a widespread weed of agricultural crops, horticultural crops, and gardens. The most common one looks like a coarse, light green clump of grass. The easiest way to use ground ivy is in tea using either fresh or dried leaves. The leaves are produced opposite each other on square (i.e., four-sided), creeping stems that root at the nodes. > Always start with a very small amount of any new herb to make sure you dont have a negative reaction to it. Henbit is a low-growing plant that spreads rapidly. What are you planning to use it for? Carefully spray the poison on top of each plants leaves. On a 16-acre turf research facility at the . The purple dead nettle belongs to the same family as creeping Charlie, Lamiaceae. It is also known as dwarf mallow, roundleaf mallow, buttonweed, cheeseplant, or cheeseweed. I'm gonna go ahead and add it and if necessary it can be moved. The creeping Charlie lookalikes discussed above can also offer great ground cover. However, youll need to choose a selective herbicide that doesnt kill your grass along with the creeping Charlie. The leaves grow in opposite pairs and are toothed or lobed. Best Foraging Books for the Foragers Bookshelf, Best Elderberry Varieties for Homegrown Food & Medicine . Both of them are similar in appearance and growing habits. Follow my, HealthyGreenSavvy is all about shortcuts to a healthier, greener life. The plant also has medicinal uses and, when crushed, is quite fragrant. If the creeping Charlie does manage to seed, youre going to have a big problem in your yard the following season. July 14, 2014 7:58 AM. Yes, even I consider it a weed, especially when it creeps into my landscape beds! It rapidly naturalized and is now found everywhere in North America with the . 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