Dichondra repens, commonly known as kidney weed,[2] Mercury Bay weed,[3] tom thumb,[4] or yilibili in the Dharawal language,[5] is a species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae and is native to Australia, New Zealand, and the Indian Ocean islands, Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues.[1] It is a perennial, herb with kidney-shaped to round leaves and small, greenish-yellow, star-shaped flowers.
| Dichondra repens | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Solanales |
| Family: | Convolvulaceae |
| Genus: | Dichondra |
| Species: | D. repens
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| Binomial name | |
| Dichondra repens | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Description
editDichondra repens is a perennial herb with a creeping habit, forming roots at the nodes. The leaves are kidney-shaped to circular, mostly 5–25 mm (0.20–0.98 in) long and 5–30 mm (0.20–1.18 in) wide on a petiole 10–50 mm (0.39–1.97 in) long. The base of the leaf is heart-shaped and its apex round or slightly notched. Both surfaces of the leaves are covered with soft, greyish hairs. The flowers are borne singly on a pedicel usually 5–60 mm (0.20–2.36 in) long, the sepals joined at the base with lobes 2.5–4 mm (0.098–0.157 in) long. The petals are pale greenish-yellow and joined at the base, forming a short tube with lobes about the same length as the sepal lobes. Flowering occurs throughout the year with a peak in spring and summer, more profusely from September to February with a peak in November. The fruit is a hairy, two-lobed capsule.[5][6][7]
Taxonomy
editDichondra repens was first formally described in 1775 by German naturalists Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster in Characteres generum plantarum,[1][8] and the lectotype collected by them in New Zealand,[9] is in the Sammlung für Völkerkunde anthropological collection in Göttingen.[10] The specific epithet (repens) is a Latin adjective meaning "creeping".[11]
Distribution and habitat
editKidney weed is widespread in all Australian States and New Zealand, and occurs on Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean.[1] It grows in forest, woodland and grassland on clay or clay-based soils that are medium to high in nutrients, and is a weed of lawns. Associated species in New South Wales are river peppermint (Eucalyptus elata), thin-leaved stringybark (E. eugenioides), woollybutt (E. longifolia) and snow-in-summer (Melaleuca linariifolia).[5][7]
It is regarded as a weed in California where it is also known as Dichondra micrantha.[12][13] It may also be naturalised in China, Japan and South Africa.[14]
Ecology
editThe native Pacific black duck (Anas superciliosa) eats the seeds of this species.[7]
Use in horticulture
editThis species is cultivated as an ornamental plant, and can be used as a lawn substitute or groundcover in gardens.[15]
Chemistry
editD. repens uses acylsugars as plant defensive compounds (see Chemical defense § Plants).[16] Among these are acylated resin glycosides which synergize with antibiotics to reverse bacterial multidrug resistance (MDR).[16] Interestingly deacylation increases the antiMDR effect.[16] A decrease would normally be expected.[16]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Dichondra repens". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "Pimelea villifera". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Dichondra repens". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "Dichondra repens". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Robert William. "Dichondra repens". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ Jeanes, Jeff A.; Stajsic, Val. "Dichondra repens". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ a b c Benson, Doug; McDougall, Lyn (1995). "Ecology of Sydney plant species - Part 3: Dicotyledon families Cabombaceae to Eupomatiaceae". Cunninghamia. 4 (2): 308.
- ^ Forster, Johann R.; Forster, Georg (1775). Characteres generum plantarum, quas in itinere ad insulas maris Australis, : collegerunt, descripserunt, delinearunt, annis 1772-1775. London. p. 40. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ Nicolson, D.H.; Fosberg, F.R. (2004). The Forsters and the Botany of the Second Cook Expedition (1772–1775). Koeltz Botanical Books.
- ^ "Type of Dichondra repens J.R.Forst. & G.Forst". JSTOR. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ Simpson DP (1979). Cassell's Latin Dictionary (5 ed.). London: Cassell Ltd. ISBN 978-0-304-52257-6.
- ^ "Dichondra repens (kidney weed)". UC IPM—Weed Gallery. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ^ "Dichondra micrantha". Calflora database. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ^ Dawson, Murray (2014). "On distant shores: New Zealand's natives as weeds abroad" (PDF). New Zealand Garden Journal. 17 (1): 10–24.
- ^ "Growing Dichondra repens". GardenWeb. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d Moghe, Gaurav; Irfan, Mohammad; Sarmah, Bhaswati (2023). "Dangerous sugars: Structural diversity and functional significance of acylsugar-like defense compounds in flowering plants". Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 73. Bibcode:2023COPB...7302348M. doi:10.1016/j.pbi.2023.102348.
