Glechoma hederacea L.

Glechoma hederacea is an aromatic, perennial, evergreen creeper of the mint family Lamiaceae. It is commonly known as ground-ivy, gill-over-the-ground, creeping charlie, alehoof, tunhoof, catsfoot, field balm, and run-away-robin. It is also sometimes known as creeping jenny, but that name more commonly refers to Lysimachia nummularia. It is used as a salad green in many countries.

Source: Wikipedia

Synonyms 46

Calamintha hederacea, Chamaecissos hederaceus, Chamaeclema hederacea, Glechoma borealis, Glechoma bulgarica, Glechoma heterophylla, Glechoma intermedia, Glechoma lobulata, Glechoma longicaulis, Glechoma magna, Glechoma pseudohederacea, Glechoma repens, Glechoma rigida, Glechoma serbica, Glechonion hederaceum, Hedera terrestris, Nepeta glechoma, Nepeta hederacea, Nepeta rigida, Glechoma hederacea subsp. glabriuscula, Glechoma hederacea subsp. heterophylla, Glechoma hederacea subsp. pannonica, Glechoma hederacea subsp. serbica, Glechoma hederacea var. acutiloba, Glechoma hederacea var. breviflora, Glechoma hederacea var. glabriuscula, Glechoma hederacea var. grandiflora, Glechoma hederacea var. grandifolia, Glechoma hederacea var. heterophylla, Glechoma hederacea var. humilior, Glechoma hederacea var. magna, Glechoma hederacea var. major, Glechoma hederacea var. micrantha, Glechoma hederacea var. minor, Glechoma hederacea var. montana, Glechoma hederacea var. parviflora, Glechoma hederacea var. parvifolia, Glechoma hederacea var. pseudohederacea, Glechoma hederacea var. pseudorigida, Glechoma hederacea var. umbrosa, Glechoma hederacea var. villosa, Glechoma repens var. major, Glechoma repens var. minor, Nepeta glechoma var. parviflora, Glechoma hederacea f. fazekasiana, Glechoma hederacea f. foliis-variegatis

1,332,113 GBIF occurrences
209,680 iNaturalist observations

Conservation status code

Conservation: status label

Least Concern

Conservation: population trend

Stable

Conservation: year assessed

2026

IUCN Red List page

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/203240/209195226

Habitats

IUCN: population narrative

A common and widespread species throughout Europe and temperate Asia, often considered a weed (Castroviejo et al. 2010).

IUCN: habitat narrative

A low to short, stoloniferous, patch-forming, aromatic, usually hairy perennial herb found in woodland, coppices, hedgebanks, grassland, meadows, waste places and sometimes as a weed of cultivated land growing in shaded damp soils (Castroviejo et al. 2010, Blamey and Grey-Wilson 2003, Forey 1991).Part of the reason for its widespread distribution is its rhizomatous method of reproduction. It will form dense mats which can take over areas of lawn, and thus can be considered a potentially invasive or aggressive weed.

IUCN: threats narrative

The threats to this species are not known.

IUCN: conservation narrative

It is listed as Least Concern in the national Red List of Denmark (NERI 2007, Aarhus Universitet 2019), Estonia (eElurikkus 2024), Germany (Ludwig and Schnittler 1996, Metzing et al. 2018), Luxembourg (Colling 2005), Switzerland (Moser et al. 2002, Bornand et al. 2016), the United Kingdom (Cheffings and Farrell 2005) and others. The species is represented by 35 germplasm accessions held at European institutions (EURISCO 2024), and is included in the living collection of at least 83 botanical gardens (BGCI 2024). It occurs in many protected areas, including Natura 2000 sites (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2024).

IUCN: rationale

European regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)EU 27 regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)This species is classified as Least Concern for both Europe and the EU27 Member States due to its widespread distribution, stable populations and no known major threats.

Glechoma hederacea L.

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