What is it?

http://image1ex.villagephotos.com/2600761.jpg

Dear aceresearcher,

The plant in your front yard is a common weed, usually referred to as
"ground ivy", "Creeping Charlie", or "gill-over-ground". It can be
difficult to control, as it can survive most weed sprays that don't
also kill grass, and as it lies close enough to the ground that it is
relatively safe from lawn mowers.

It is a plant in the mint family (as evidenced by the square stem),
but not a variety one would want to eat. There is information on
ridding your yard of ground ivy on the following websites:

"Dealing With Ground Ivy", found on the Michigan State University
Extension Information Management Program website:
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modc1/50297004.html

"Creeping Charlie in your lawn", from the Simple Gifts Farm website,
"Gardening Tips and Gardening Information from Doug Green":
http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/Articles/CreepChar.html


Research Strategy:

I have some of this growing in my front yard - I think probonopublico
planted it there to throw off suspicion. ;-)

Google Search: "Ground Ivy"


I hope you find this helpful,

- expertlaw

---

Request for Answer Clarification by aceresearcher-ga on 20 May 2003 08:53 PDT

Thanks for your help, expertlaw!

Thanks also to Researcher larre, who sent me this link:
http://www.missouriplants.com/Blueopp/Ajuga_reptans_page.html

---

Clarification of Answer by expertlaw-ga on 20 May 2003 19:26 PDT

I'm pleased to have been of assistance. Thank you for the tip!

- expertlaw

Thanks for the fast, accurate assistance!

I wouldn't touch it if I were you, Ace.

I think it resembles "Audrey II" from "Little Shop of Horrors."

It's a highly potent, dwarf-form of cannabis.

Taste it and enjoy.

Hi, Ace

Can I have a cutting, please?

Mik

Oh man. I have been *trying* to get that stuff to grow in my yard!

OH yeah, hydrochloric acid harms this stuff a lot but doesnt totally kill it.

The Borax approach to killing the stuff really works. (But if you try
it remember the caveat - you can only apply the borax once, as it will
not leach out of the soil. If you apply Borax more than once, the
boron will accumulate and may reach the point where it also kills your
grass - until you replace the topsoil.)

Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) is commonly sold as a groundcover or
rock garden plant (a Google search for "buy Glechoma hederacea"
returned over 4,000 hits.  The problem is that it doesn't like to stay
where you put it and often becomes a "weed" in lawns.  Information on
weed identification biology and control can be found in the following
references:

1.Common Weeds of Canada, Mulligan 1987 (ISBN 0-910053-59-9) See page: 87
2.Common Weeds of the Canadian Prairies, 1963 (Cat# A53-1136-1) See page: 39
3.Common Weeds of the United States, 1971 (ISBN 0-486-20504-5) See page: 312
4.Field Guide To The Common Weeds Of Kansas, 1983 (ISBN 0-7006-0233-X) See page: 93
5.Garden Weeds of Southern California, 1981, See page: 89a
6.Gilkey's Weeds of the Pacific Northwest, 1980 (ISBN 0-88246-039-0) See page: 243
7.How to Know the Weeds, 1972, (ISBN# 0-697-04880-2) See page: 127
8.Manual of Ohio Weeds, 1931 Ohio Ag. Exp. Station Bull. # 475, See page: 83
9.Nebraska Weeds, 1979 Nebraska Dept. of Ag., Lincoln NE, See page: 153
10.Northwest Weeds, 1990 (ISBN 0-87842-249-8) See page: 105
11.Ontario Weeds, 1992 Agdex 640, Publication #505 See page: 175
12.South Dakota Weeds, 1967 South Dakota State University, See page: 141
13.South Dakota Weeds 2002 South Dakota Dept. of Ag. 523 E. Capitol,
Foss Bldg. Pierre, South Dakota 57501 See page: 118
14.Weed Seeds of the Great Plains, 1993 University of Kansas# 92-125-B
ISBN# 0-7006-0651-3 See index #: 168
15.Weeds, 1955 (1980) Walter Conrad Muenscher, ISBN# 0-8014-1266-8 See
page: 369, 370
16.Weeds of Alberta, 1983 Alberta Environmental Centre Agdex 640-4, See page: 95
17.Weeds of Arkansas 1981 (MP 169-5M-3-81) See page: 39
18.Weeds of California, 1970, State of California Publications and
Documents. See page: 374
19.Weeds of Canada, 1970 Canada Dept. of Ag., Pub. # 948, See page: 144
20.Weeds of Colorado, 1990 Cooperative Extension, Colorado State Univ.
Bulletin 521A, See page: 125
21.Weeds of Kentucky and Adjacent States, 1991 (ISBN 0-8131-1743-7) See page: 206
22.Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains, 1994 (ISBN 0939870-00-4) See page: 322
23.Weeds of Nova Scotia, 1986 (ISBN# 0-88871-063) See page: 36
24.Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses, 1992 Univ. of Florida, Gainesville
Publication # SP-79, See page: 130
25.Weeds of the North Central States, 1981 Univ. of Illinois, Urbana -
Champaign Bulletin # 772, See page: 150
26.Weeds of the Northeast, 1956, Univ. of Delaware Field Manual #1 See
species #: 234
27.Weeds of the Northeast, 1997 Cornell University ISBN# 0-8014-8334-4
See page: 246,260
28.Weeds of the Northern United States and Canada, 1964 Montgomery See page: 133
29.Weeds of the Northern U.S, and Canada, 1999 Royer and Dickinson,
(ISBN# 1-55105-221-0) See page: 251
30.Weeds of Utah, 1971 UAES Special Report 21, See page: 76
31.Wildly Successful Plants, A Handbook of North American Weeds, 1977
(ISBN# 0-02-528850-4) See page: 28, 227
32.Listed as a "Weed" by the Biota of North America Program, 2004 x
33.Listed in the WSSA Composite List of Weeds X
34.Flora of the Pacific Northwest, 1973 (ISBN# 0-295-95273-3) 730
pages. See page: 402
35.Flora of the Great Plains, 1986 (ISBN 0-7006-0295-X) 1392 pages. See page: 714
36.Weeds of the United States and Their Control, Lorenzi 1987, ISBN#
0-442-25884-4 See page:250
37.Weeds of the North Central States, 1981 Univ. of Illinois, Urbana -
Champagne Bulletin # 772, See page: 150