PlantFiles: Green Carpetweed
Mollugo verticillata

Very persisting weed that will colonize any exposured soil in sun in my yard - a bit of pain to pull out as they lies flat to the ground. Often grows with Purslanes.

Fairly abundant weed in my veg. garden, but I don't rate it any worse than neutral since it is easy to pull, is so dainty in habit that it doesn't really choke out desirable plants and does not re-root once pulled up.

Froms South America to Canada, this plant is considered an invasive weed. I checked the USDA website, and noticed that its occurrance is registered in 47 states of USA. Here in Brazil, it´s considered both a noxious weed and an important species, ecologically (a weed because it invades grasslands, and it´s suspected to be toxic for the cattle. Important, because it is one of the first plants to take over empty areas of white sand near the sea, being important for the further colonization of those areas).

It is a prostrate plant, crawling over with thin and ramified stems. The leaves are long, coming in three or four in each node. The flowers are tiny and white, and most of them will produce fruits and seeds.

It reproduces fast, and doesn´t mind the kind of soil, nor the temperature, if it doesn´t go to extremes of heat and cold. It invades sunny areas with at least a little rain.