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Phyla lanceolata

lanceleaf frogfruit

Verbenaceae North America

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterHigh

HardinessZones 4–10

Overview

Phyla lanceolata is a low, creeping herbaceous perennial that roots at the nodes to form mats 1-4 inches (2.5-10 cm) tall and spreading 1-3 feet (30-90 cm) wide. The square to rounded stems trail along the ground and turn up at the tips. Opposite leaves are lance-shaped, 1-3 inches (2.5-7.5 cm) long, with sharply toothed margins on the upper half. Small flowers gather in dense, button-like heads about 0.4 inch (1 cm) wide on stalks rising from the leaf axils, opening in a ring around a cone that lengthens as bloom proceeds. Individual flowers are white to pale pink with a yellow throat. Flowering runs from May to October in moist conditions. The species grows along streambanks, pond edges, ditches, and floodplains, tolerating seasonal flooding and brief drought. It spreads quickly by rooting stems and can knit together bare wet ground within a season. In dry sites the mats thin and growth slows. The flowers draw many small butterflies and the foliage feeds the larvae of several species.

Native Range

Phyla lanceolata is native to much of North America, ranging across the United States from the East Coast to California and north into southern Canada. It grows in wet soils along streams, ponds, ditches, marshes, and floodplain edges.

Suggested Uses

Used as a groundcover for rain gardens, pond margins, and wet swales, and for erosion control on damp banks, spaced 12-18 inches (30-45 cm) apart. Suited to filling moist, sunny gaps where turf struggles. It serves as a larval host and nectar source for buckeye, phaon crescent, and white peacock butterflies.

How to Identify

Identify by the creeping, node-rooting stems and opposite lance-shaped leaves toothed along the upper half, 1-3 inches (2.5-7.5 cm) long. Button-like flower heads about 0.4 inch (1 cm) wide carry white to pink flowers around a central cone. The longer, sharply toothed leaves separate it from Phyla nodiflora, which has smaller, blunt-toothed leaves.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height1" - 4"

Width/Spread1' - 3'

Reaches mature size in approximately 1 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~24 weeks

Spring Summer Fall

Flowers open from May to October, peaking through the warm, moist months. Each head blooms in a slowly rising ring of white to pink flowers over several weeks. The blooms draw small butterflies, skippers, and native bees throughout the season.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

White to pink with yellow throat

Foliage Description

Green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 5-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

clay loam silt sand

Drainagewet

Water & Climate

Water Needs

High

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

1 year

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grow Phyla lanceolata in full sun to part shade on moist to wet soils, including clay, loam, and silt along water edges. It tolerates seasonal flooding and standing water and accepts a pH from 6.0 to 7.5. Established mats withstand short dry spells but thin and brown in prolonged drought. The rooting stems spread fast and can crowd small neighboring plants, so room must be allowed in mixed plantings. Little fertilizer is needed, and rich soil mainly speeds spread. Mats can be trimmed at the edges to keep them within bounds.

Pruning

Trimming the spreading stems at the edges through the season contains the mat. Mowing or shearing in late winter clears old growth before new shoots emerge. No detailed pruning is needed for this groundcover.

Pruning Schedule

winter