Glechoma hederacea L.

Ground-ivy, gill-over-the-ground, creeping charlie, alehoof, tunhoof, catsfoot, field balm, run-away-robin

Some similar species

	Ajuga reptans	You are here Glechoma hederacea	Lamium purpureum
Common Name	bugle	ground-ivy	purple dead-nettle
Plant	Carpet-bugle forms loose mats. Plants are 6–9″ (15–22 cm) in height. Stems have square cross sections, and hairs on two of the four sides.	Often only 3″ (7.6 cm) tall, it sometimes reaches 12″ (30 cm). Extends horizontally, hence the term “ivy.” Stems are square in cross-section.	4–16″ (10–40 cm) high, and somewhat hairy. Stems are 4-angled and glabrous.
Leaves	Dark green with purple highlights, opposite, elliptical or ovate with a rounded tip, simple, and sometimes toothed.	Round or kidney-shaped, with scalloped edges, ⅜–1¼″ (9.5–31 mm) in diameter.	Toothed, round or kidney-shaped, deeply and irregularly veined, and ¼–1¼″ (6.3–31 mm). Each stem node has two opposite leaves, and each succeeded pair is rotated 90° from the last. Upper, younger leaves often have a red-violet tinge.
Flowers	A dense raceme of blue flowers, appearing from May to June.	Flowers are blue, purple, or lavender, occurring in groups of 3. The flower shape is unusual. A small upper petal is divided into two lobes. A larger lower petal has a lobe on either side, and a large bottom lobe that is divided into two more lobes. Each flower is ⅜–½″ (9.5–12 mm) across.	Flowers are ¼–¾″ (6.3–19 mm), appearing from Mar to Oct. They are pink to red to purple in color.
Fruit	A schizocarp with four chambers.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 3-10
Habitats	Damp grassy fields, and damp woods. There are many cultivars.	Moist ground, woods, slopes, roadsides, waste places, lawns	Fields, weedy places, gardens.

	Prunella vulgaris
Common Name	common selfheal
Plant	1¾–16″ (5–40 cm) high, usually toward the small end of this. It is often found in lawns. Approximately square in cross section, green or reddish, and lightly to densely hairy.
Leaves	Up to 2″ (6 cm) × ¾″ (2 cm), oval or sometimes lance-shaped, on fairly long petioles (leaf stems).
Flowers	On spikes at the top. They look uneven and disheveled because they don't bloom all at once. Each flower is about ⅜″ (1 cm) around, purple on top and white below, and bilaterally symmetrical.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Fields, roadsides, weedy area, open woods

Glechoma hederacea description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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