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Glechoma hederacea

Ground-ivy

Habitus (PD) Karelj

Short Description

Ground-ivy is an evergreen perennial plant.

The leaves are roughly lobed and kidney-shaped (reniform) or roundish. They are quite frost-hardy.

The perennial plant hibernates as a rooted shoots. Its overground runners can grow to more than one metre long. The grow roots at the nodes, thus making a major contribution to the plant’s proliferation.

Flower stalks are generally upright and stand out for their numerous light-blue to purple flowers with dark-purple spots.

The fruit splits into four nut-like mericarps.

Features

Ground-ivy

Glechoma hederacea

  • leaves heart- to kidney-shaped

  • square stem

Blatt Oberseite (CC BY-SA 4.0) Alice Kracht

In the city

Ground-ivy grows in forest and under hedges in gardens. It is not very resistant to trampling. But as it is resistant to cutting, it can also spread in lawns. Ground-ivy is not picky as to soil quality, but requires moisture.

Fun Facts

  • Ground-ivy is edible. It has a rather strong taste and is thus often mixed with other herbs.

  • It flowers from April to July.

  • It lives for several years and generally flowers and fruits annually (perennial plant).

  • Pollination is mainly done by bees.

  • Endangerment level Germany: not endangered

  • Due to the blue-violet flowers, this plant was often associated with the Germanic weather god Thor.

  • Ground-ivy was formerly used in the treatment of a number of diseases. It contains essential oils together with other substances.

Blatt Unterseite (CC BY-SA 4.0) Alice Kracht

Sources

Habitus, Karelj, PD, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glechoma_hederacea_popenec_obecn%C3%BD_1.jpg

Blatt Oberseite, Alice Kracht, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://offene-naturfuehrer.de/web/Datei:Glechoma_hederacea(5).JPG

Blatt Unterseite, Alice Kracht, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://offene-naturfuehrer.de/web/Datei:Glechoma_hederacea(6).JPG

Wohlers, W. (2015) Glechoma hederacea – Gundermann (JKI-Pflanzenportraits), URL: https://offene-naturfuehrer.de/web/Glechoma_hederacea_%E2%80%93_Gundermann_(JKI-Pflanzenportraits) (Accessed: 13.07.2016).

Page „Gundermann“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 10.06.2016, 09:45 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gundermann&oldid=155153911 (Accessed: 13.07.2016).

Fleischhauer, S. G., Guthmann, J. & Spiegelberger, R. (2007) Essbare Wildpflanzen. 200 Arten bestimmen und verwenden, Baden und München: AT Verlag.

Lippert, W. & Podlech, D. (1993) GU Naturführer. Blumen: die wichtigen Blütenpflanzen Mitteleuropas erkennen und bestimmen, München: Gräfe und Unzer Verlag.

Needon, C. & Petermann, J. (1991) Urania-Naturführer Pflanzen, Leipzig, Jena, Berlin: Urania-Verlag.

Scherf, G. (2006) Wildpflanzen neu entdecken, München: BLV.

Bundesamt für Naturschutz (n.d.) Artensteckbriefe, URL: http://floraweb.de/pflanzenarten/artenhome.xsql?suchnr=2711& (Accessed: 13.07.2016).