Above: Creeping Charlie by Duck Pond in Madison, Wisconsin . (5/12/19).
Creeping Charlie - Glechoma hederacea
Yes, yes, yes, I know Creeping Charlie is a weed but it's also very pretty when it blooms.
Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea) is an aromatic, perennial, evergreen creeper of the mint family Lamiaceae.
European settlers carried it around the world and it's become a well-established, naturalized plant in a wide variety of localities.
Creeping Charlie flowers are funnel-shaped, blue or bluish-violet to lavender in color. They bloom in the spring on short stems.
Its leaves are scalloped and about the size of a cat's paw (hence, one of its nickname: Catsfoot).
When the plant is crushed, it produces a strong mint-like odor.
Creeping Charlie is considered an aggressive invasive weed of woodlands and lawns that's difficult to control.
Other names include: ground-ivy, gill-over-the-ground, alehoof, tunhoof, catsfoot, field balm, and run-away-robin. It was once know as Nepeta hederacea and Nepeta glechoma.
Above: Creeping Charlie in Oak Savanna in Madison, Wisconsin on May 20, 2019.
For more information on Creeping Charlie, visit Wikipedia.
Or, for information on Creeping Charlie visit the Wisconsin State Herbarium.
Or, visit the University of Wisconsin Master Gardener Program website page about Creeping Charlie, Gleochoma hederaceae.
Or, visit the Division Extension Wisconsin Horticulture website page about Creeping Charlie.
While Creeping Charlie was imported from Europe as an herb and medicinal plant for humans, it can adversely affect your digestive system if ingested in large doses. It is also toxic to horses when eaten in large amounts and may cause vomiting, diarrhea and tremors as well as heart, respiratory and kidney problems in dogs.
Visit the Edible Wild Food website page about Creeping Charlie.
Or visit the Kitchen website page about Creeping Charlie.
Creeping Charlie
Glechoma hederacea
Above: Creeping Charlie by Duck Pond in Madison, Wisconsin. (6/02/19)
Above: Creeping Charlie near Agawa Path in Nakoma. (6/03/19)
Above: Creeping Charlie in Oak Savanna. (6/08/19)
Above: Creeping Charlie in Oak Savanna. (5/09/20)
Above: Creeping Charlie in Oak Savanna. (5/13/20)
Above: Creeping Charlie by Stevens Pond. (5/26/20)
Above: Creeping Charlie in Univeristy of Wisconsin Arboretum Native Gardens. (4/17/21)
Above: 1885 Creeping Charlie botanical illustration.
Above: Creeping Charlie botanical illustration by Johhan Georg Sturm.
Above: 1891 Creeping Charlie botanical illustration.