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pfmastin_gw

Does anyone know this groundcover?

pfmastin
15 years ago

I'm hoping someone can help me identify this plant. I've posted over in Name That Plant, but this plant is growing in SE North Carolina and I thought someone here might know.

It's a few inches tall...maybe 3 inches tall, silvery gray and has tiny purple flowers on it. It had spread into quite a good size area in a xeriscape bed. Thanks so much.

Pam

Here is a link that might be useful: Photo of plant

Comments (11)

  • tamelask
    15 years ago

    At first i though some sort of tradescantia, but the blooms look like the ground cover type veronicas like georgia blue. Maybe it's some kind of veronica? It's beautiful!

  • transplanted2scin07
    15 years ago

    It is definitely beautiful. I looked all through my catalog for High Country Gardens, a Xeriscape mail order nursery, and did not find anything that looked like it. I agree with Tam, the flower looks very much like a Veronica flower but when I typed "Veronica" into Google Images, I got a bunch of photos of half dressed women. Figures.
    Good luck finding your answer.

  • dottie_in_charlotte
    15 years ago

    Oooh,Pam, you could make some $$$ on that stuff. Wonder if, because it's in a hot,dry area it's something SouthWestern we don't see here.

    Put your photo up on the AZ or Texas forum. See what they say and get back to us.

  • Ralph Whisnant
    15 years ago

    I agree that this plant is one of the Veronicas generally called 'Creeping Speedwell'. Dave's Garden has over 130 different Veronica's listed on four "pages". I only perused the first page and found several that look similar to your photo including V. persica and V. arvenis, but none whose leaves look exactly like the one in your picture. Perhaps there is one on pages 2 - 4 that is a closer match. I am including a link to their picture of V. arvensis which is known as 'Corn Speedwell' and is a native plant in NC as is V. persica. The Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas lists about a dozen Veronicas that are native somewhere in the Carolinas - odds are that yours is one of them.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Picture of Corn Speedwell / Veronica arvensis

  • pfmastin
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Hi everyone,
    "idig" on the Name That Plant forum named it for me. It's from Texas...so Dottie would have gotten us there, I'm sure.

    It's Stemodia tomentosa (Wooly Stemodia) Idig says it's zone 8 and above for hardiness, but she/he had seen some sources saying zone 7 and above. Definitely worth following up.

    Thanks everyone!
    Pam

    Here is a link that might be useful: Stemodia tomentosa

  • pfmastin
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Stemodia tomentosa syn. S. lanata is grown at Raulston Arboretum. Now....where to get it!

    Here is a link that might be useful: J C Raulston Arboretum

  • dottie_in_charlotte
    15 years ago

    From the info, this looks like a real spreader since plantings are suggested 24-36" apart.
    Definitely, full sun. Silvery grey plants (dusty miller,artemesia) do best in full sun with really good drainage (sloping site could work for our heavier soils)

    It reminds me of another .....tomentosum ..same wooly silver look but darned if I can recall the first part. It doesn't spread so much as grow longer so great in pots or on walled beds.

  • tamelask
    15 years ago

    Cerastium tomentosum is what you're thinking of, i bet. Snow on the mountain was the common name where i grew up. It was one of the first flowers i played with in Gram's garden and i've always liked it. I've tried it a few times here, without much success. I though it wasn't nuts about the humid summers, but it could be that i didn't give it enough sun & drainage, of which i have little. I saw at least one pot at the swap, so someone's getting it going.

  • tamelask
    15 years ago

    Also meant to say this reminds me of pussy toes, which is antennaria, i think. They are great little natives that do well here, some even in semi shady conditions.

  • dottie_in_charlotte
    15 years ago

    snow on the mountain was it but I've seen 'snow on the mountain' as the common name for other plants so cerastium was indeed the first name I was thinking of.
    Up in CT I had it in a raised bed flowing over a rock wall. It didn't spread much and the white flowers were larger than the purple flowers of stemodia. I think it works best this way (hanging).

  • tamelask
    15 years ago

    Yup- Gram had hers scrambling over a couple rocks near the edge of the garage, close to my favorite deep blood red peonies. Great combo! I've heard 'snow on the mountain' around here for a type of annual euphorbia, too. That's why i quantified it.

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