Mollugo verticillata L.

Green Carpetweed; Indian Chickweed

Herb

Annual

Vascular

Carpetweed is an introduced annual in the Carpetweed family (Molluginaceae). It is native to the New World tropics. Carpetweed occurs throughout Alabama. It occurs in gardens, in flower beds, on roadsides, in lawns, and in other disturbed, often sandy locations. It is an annual with a tap root. The stems are prostrate to ascending, glabrous, and green in color. The stems do not root at the nodes. The leaves are in a basal rosette and cauline. The basal rosette may not be present as the plant matures. The cauline leaves are in whorls of 3-8 and are sessile or short petiolate. The leaf blades are linear to obovate or spatulate in outline, entire, and glabrous. Flowers are produced in sessile axillary umbels. The flowers have 5 sepals that are green with white stripes on the outer surface and white on the inner surface. There are no petals. The fruit is a capsule with small, dark reddish-brown seed. Archaeological evidence indicates that Carpetweed moved north into temperate and subtropical North America with the spread of agriculture among the Native Americans. It has been found at archaeological sites in Tennessee from 3,000 years ago. Carpetweed is sometimes consumed in salads because of its tart taste due to the presence of acetic acid.--A. Diamond

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Native FAC (NWPL)

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