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Thursday - December 22, 2011

From: Hillsboro, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Seed and Plant Sources
Title: Source for Dichondra plants
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I thought I was looking for "Dollar Weed" because the leaf is round and flat like a silver dollar and a little bit like wild violets, is extremely low growing and is in a lot of lawns especially under trees. I heard something like my description, is grown for lawns instead of "grass" in California. It doesn't need mowing as it is extremely short. Some one told me it might be like a "Dichondra". I dug a little piece of it up and put it in a pot and now it is over-flowing the pot. I have never seen any flowers on it, nothing but leaves. I would really like to get an enormous supply of it. I love it! Help me find where I can get it and how do I best take care of it?

ANSWER:

There are three species of Dichondra that occur in Texas:

Dichondra argentea (Silver ponyfoot)
Dichondra carolinensis (Carolina ponysfoot). The flowers are very small and secretive but you can see them in photos from the University of Texas School of Biological Sciences' Image Archive of Central Texas Plants.
Dichondra recurvata (Oakwoods ponysfoot)

In your area I think the most likely one growing there is Dichondra carolinensis (Carolina ponysfoot). Here is an article, Ground Cover Plants for Florida, with information about the care and maintenance of the plant.

You can check our National Suppliers Directory for nurseries in your area that specialize in native plants and you can try these two lists for nurseries in your general area:

Nurseries that sell native plants in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area from the webpage of Collin County Chapter of the Native Plant Society (NPSOT) and Where Can You Buy Native Plants in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area? from the North Central Chapter of NPSOT.

The Wildflower Center Spring Plant Sale (April 13-15, 2012) will probably have Dichondra argentea for sale. You can check the list nearer to the date, but we don't have mail order. You would have to come to the sale for your purchase.

I did a Google search and found a nursery in Houston, Native Enchancements, that has plants for sale.

Finally, it sounds as if you have been very successful in growing the plant in a pot from a small piece of it. Why not try taking cuttings from those in the pot and transplanting them several places in your lawn? If you can get a start of the plant in several places in your yard, it should spread over the rest. Alternatively, you could start them in small seed trays to form roots and then transplant over your yard.

From the Image Gallery

Silver ponysfoot
Dichondra argentea

Carolina ponyfoot
Dichondra carolinensis

Oakwoods ponysfoot
Dichondra recurvata