Common Name: capeweed
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Verbenaceae
Zone: 8 to 11
Height: 0.10 to 0.50 feet
Spread: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Bloom Time: May to September
Bloom Description: Pink to white
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Ground Cover, Naturalize, Rain Garden
Flower: Showy
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist, well-draining soils in full sun to part shade but can adapt to a wide variety of growing conditions including clayey, sandy, dry, or poor soils. Tolerant of occasional drought and flooding. Hardy in Zones 8-11.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Phyla nodiflora, commonly called turkey tangle frogfruit, sawtooth frogfruit, or common lippia among others, is a low-growing, mat-forming, herbaceous perennial native to tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Mature plants will reach 1-6" tall and spread through aboveground runners to fill a 3' area. The creeping stems bear spoon-shaped leaves with serrated margins that will reach 1" long and 0.5" wide. Cylindrical clusters of small, pink to white flowers bloom atop 1-2.75" tall stalks from the stem nodes in late spring through early fall. The flowers are attractive to various insect pollinators including bees, small butterflies, and syrphid flies. Plants are evergreen in frost-free tropical areas.
The specific epithet nodiflora means "blooms from the node" in reference to the inflorescences which bloom from the stem nodes.
'Ramble On' is a selection of turkey tangle frogfruit from South Carolina.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems of note.
Uses
Spreading ground cover for rain gardens, pond margins, and other low-maintenance landscapes. Suitable for use as a turfgrass lawn alternative. Tolerates moderate to low foot traffic and occasional mowing.