Phyla nodiflora (L.) Greene
Lippia, kurapia, frogfruit, turkey tangle fogfruit
Lippia is native to North and South America, Asia, and Africa. It is often grown as an ornamental plant.
Plants: Evergreen perennials are creeping and mat-forming, 2–6″ (6–14 cm) in height.
Leaves: Opposite, sessile or on short petioles, ⅛–1½″ long ⨉ ⅛–¾″ broad (5–40 ⨉ 4–20 mm), elliptic to oval. The lower half of each leaf is smooth-edged, while the upper half is toothed. P. nodiflora var. reptans has more diamond-shaped leaves.
Flowers: A purple center is surrounded by small, white-to-pink flowers on long, erect pedicels.
Fruits: Capsules, schizocarps, 1/32–1/16″ (1.5–2 mm) long, separate into two nutlets.
Habitats: Moist habitats with poorly to well-drained soils, in hammocks, beaches, and lawns and along roadsides.
Medical: Widely used for a variety of folk remedies, many of which have been confirmed by phytochemical analysis.
Online References:
References:
McMullen, Conley K., Flowering Plants of the Galápagos, Comstock Publishing Associates, 1999, p. 256
(Phyla nodiflora var. reptans) · 4/4/2025 · Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristóbal, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Lamiales | Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary |
| Family | Verbenaceae | Verbena (vervain) family, about 3,000 species |
| Genus | Phyla | From the Greek phyle, “tribe,” probably from the flowers being tightly clustered in heads |
| Species | nodiflora | With flowers borne from the nodes |
Phyla nodiflora description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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