Naked Stem Dewflower Murdannia nudiflora
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- mur-DAN-ee-uh noo-dee-FLOR-uh
- Description
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Doveweed is a weedy, prostrate, summer annual in the spiderwort (Commelinaceae) family. Doveweed often forms a dense mat and is considered a weed in lawns, gardens, and other open or lightly shaded sites. It is native to tropical Asia and Australia but has naturalized in most of the warm-temperate and tropical Americas. The species epithet is Latin for "naked flower" and refers to the leafless stalks that bear the flowers.
This weed germinates and grows best in hot, wet weather with most seedlings emerging late May through August. Doveweed is propagated exclusively by seeds, and plants may produce several generations in one season. When very young, this plant can easily be confused with a grass. Plants flower from summer into fall and then die after frost. The stems are succulent, trailing, and root at the nodes.
A related species, marsh dayflower (Murdannia keisak), is less common but grows in similar habitats. Marsh dayflower tends to be larger and more vigorous than doveweed. Also, the sepals are shorter than the petals in doveweed, but in marsh dayflower the sepals are about as long as the petals.
Doveweed is difficult to control. Infestations generally begin in drainage ditches or low spots where water stands. Few herbicides control this weed. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on identifying and controlling Doveweed.
This species is not recommended for any garden or wild habitat.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: Doveweed spreads aggressively within the lawn by thick, above ground, creeping stolons. Management can take two to three years. It can cause contact dermatitis in dogs that are built low to the ground.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Murdannia
- Species:
- nudiflora
- Family:
- Commelinaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Used as animal feed.
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Tropical and Subtropical Asia and Western Pacific
- Distribution:
- South Carolina south to Florida and west to Texas. Central and South America, Central Africa, Japan.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Weed
- Habit/Form:
- Creeping
- Horizontal
- Prostrate
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Wet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Capsules 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Two seeds 2 per locule, deeply pitted.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Solitary
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Radial
- Flower Petals:
- 2-3 rays/petals
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Pinkish-Purple or violet 3-petalled flowers occur in loose groups from mid-summer to fall. Inflorescence is terminal or terminal and axillary; cymes few-flowered, solitary or fascicled, long-pedunculate; bracteoles caducous. Flowers bisexual, slightly bilaterally symmetric, less than 1/4 inch wide.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Fleshy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Linear
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are 2 to 5 inches long, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide, pointed, with parallel veins; alternate and spirally arranged, clasping the stem with a sheath. When very young, this plant can easily be confused with a grass.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Humidity
- Problems:
- Problem for Dogs
- Weedy