creeping lip plant

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Frogfruit
• Turkey Tangle Frogfruit
• Capeweed
• carpetweed
• fogfruit
• matgrass
• turkey-tangle
• turkey-tangle frogfruit
• Lipia
• Sawtooth Frogfruit
• Texas frogfruit
• common lippia
• daisy lawn
• fog grass
• lippia
• roundleaf frogfruit
• sawtooth fogfruit
• turkey tangle
• turkey tangle fogfruit

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Zappania nodiflora
• Verbena nodiflora
• Lippia nodiflora
• Blairia nodiflora
• Platonia nodiflora

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant, known as Phyla nodiflora, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. It is classified under the class Equisetopsida and the subclass Magnoliidae, falling within the order Lamiales. Finally, it is a member of the family Verbenaceae and is situated within the genus Phyla.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse geographical distribution across several regions of Europe. In Northern Europe, its presence can be specifically noted within Great Britain. Moving toward Middle Europe, the species is found growing in Germany. Its range extends further into Southwestern Europe, where it inhabits the Baleares and Corse. Finally, the plant is also widely distributed throughout France.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Phyla nodiflora is characterized by a broad altitudinal distribution, allowing it to inhabit diverse landscapes ranging from sea level up to a maximum elevation of 1700 m AMSL. This plant is specifically adapted to several distinct environmental niches, thriving within the unique conditions of Campo de Altitude, as well as in the humid environments of Floresta Ciliar or Galeria. These habitats provide the necessary moisture and soil compositions required for its establishment and growth across its varying elevational gradient.

Elevational range max:

1700 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

Campo de Altitude, Floresta Ciliar ou Galeria

Life history

The life history of Phyla nodiflora is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. It exhibits a chamaephyte life form, maintaining its growth close to the ground, which facilitates its ability to spread effectively in its natural habitats. Throughout its existence, the plant maintains an evergreen deciduousness, ensuring that its foliage remains functional and present across varying environmental conditions.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

chamaephyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Phyla nodiflora is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb and forb, which exhibits a predominantly prostrate shoot orientation. As a self-supporting plant, it does not function as a climber or a liana, and it grows as an independent organism rather than a parasite. The plant is terrestrial in nature, not qualifying as an aquatic or epiphytic species. In terms of stature, it is a relatively low-growing species with a plant height that ranges from a minimum of 0 m to a maximum of 0.75 m, maintaining a mean plant height of approximately 0.13 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

0.75 m

Plant height mean:

0.13 m

Plant height min:

0 m

Shoot orientation :

prostrate

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Phyla nodiflora is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and metabolic efficiency. The plant exhibits morphological adaptations in its foliage, featuring elliptic leaf forms that vary significantly in size; leaf lengths range from a minimum of 0.1 cm to a maximum of 6 cm, while the width fluctuates between a minimum of 0.3 cm and a maximum of 2 cm, with a mean width of approximately 0.5 cm. Notably, the species displays succulence, a physiological trait that aids in moisture retention and water management within its tissues. Furthermore, Phyla nodiflora does not function as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it relies on external soil nitrogen sources rather than symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria to fulfill its nutritional requirements.

Leaf form :

elliptic

Leaf length max:

6 cm

Leaf length min:

0.1 cm

Leaf width max:

2 cm

Leaf width mean:

0.5 cm

Leaf width min:

0.3 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Succulence :

yes

Reproduction

The reproduction of Phyla nodiflora involves both sexual and asexual mechanisms, with asexual reproduction being present to facilitate its spread. The plant produces flowers characterized by a violet color, which are arranged in a spike inflorescence. These flowers are quite small, with a width ranging from a minimum of 0.15 cm to a maximum of 0.2 cm. The flowering period is highly flexible, as it can occur during any month of the year, including a notable presence in April. Pollination is primarily biotic, specifically utilizing an insect pollination syndrome to ensure fertilization. Once fertilization occurs, the plant produces seeds with a highly consistent length of 1.5 mm. The seed mass is quite minute, with a mean weight of 0.0004305 g, ranging from a minimum of 0.00032 g to a maximum of 0.00073 g. The dispersal of these seeds is categorized as unspecialized, meaning they do not rely on a specific highly evolved mechanism for distribution.

Dispersal syndrome :

unspecialized

Flower colour :

violet

Flower width max:

0.2 cm

Flower width min:

0.15 cm

Flowering time :

Apr

Inflorescence :

spike

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Reproduction asexual :

present

Seed length mean:

1.5 mm

Seed mass max:

0.00073 g

Seed mass mean:

0.0004305 g

Seed mass min:

0.00032 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Phyla nodiflora has 2 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include 5-Hydroxy-3',4',7-trimethoxyflavone, EUPAFOLIN.

5-Hydroxy-3',4',7-trimethoxyflavone

1. Journal of receptor and signal transduction research

EUPAFOLIN

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Activities

Phyla nodiflora has 3 reported activities identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Anticancer, Antioxidant, Anxiolytic.

Anticancer

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antioxidant

1. Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society

Anxiolytic

1. Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society

Conditions

Phyla nodiflora has 7 reported investigations on conditions identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include Alzheimer's disease, Helicobacter pylori, anxiety, cancer, freckles.

Alzheimer's disease

1. Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society

Helicobacter pylori

1. FEMS immunology and medical microbiology

Anxiety

1. Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society

Cancer

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Freckles

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Melanogenesis

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Neurological disorders

1. Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society

Preparations

Phyla nodiflora has 4 reported preparations identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include Alcoholic extracts of the rhizomes, crude methanolic extract of whole herb, essential oil, herbal tea.

Alcoholic extracts of the rhizomes

1. Indian journal of physiology and pharmacology

Crude methanolic extract of whole herb

1. Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society

Essential oil

1. Ancient science of life

Herbal tea

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology