This week for Flora and Fauna Friday we have a wildflower that’s as resilient as it is short: Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora).
Frogfruit is a member of the Verbena family and a relative of Lantana and Vervain. It’s found throughout the coastal plain of the southern United States, including the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Frogfruit is a low growing groundcover, often less than 4 inches tall. It’s a perennial broadleaf plant with semi-evergreen and somewhat succulent leaves and a habit of densely spreading along its creeping stems. This little plant is found in a wide variety of habitats but, due to its short stature, needs exposed soil and occasional moisture to thrive. However, Frogfruit isn’t picky about where it lives as long as it doesn’t get buried by other vegetation. It will tolerate a lot of disturbance, including partial shade, scorching heat, intermittent flooding, prolonged drought, saltwater, chemical contamination, and poor soils. It can often be found growing along brackish ponds, in parking lots, on shellsand driveways, and over brick pavers. This resiliency and durability make Frogfruit a great lawn substitute in many places. It grows densely and vigorously into a turf in most soils and light conditions, as long as it gets sufficient water, and, once established, it is hard to get rid of.
A benefit to Frogfruit over traditional turf-grasses is that it is both a tremendous nectar plant for pollinators and a host plant for two species of butterfly: the White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) and the Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon). Frogfruit blooms pretty much continuously from April to November and is frequented by an uncountable number of pollinators, both large and small. Frogfruit’s flowers are clustered together at the tip of a short stalk on a spherical or cylindrical flowerhead. These flowerheads have a mauve cap ringed by a skirt of tiny white-pink, upward facing flowers, each with a lemon yellow or magenta center. Flower stalks are prolific too, with each only being a few inches from the next across the whole of the plant. Frogfruit is an all-around positive addition for wildlife in any garden, lawn, or habitat.
