Lawn Pennywort

What it looks like

Small, round to kidney-shaped leaves, usually under half an inch across, with shallowly scalloped edges and a bright, shiny surface. The leaves sit on short stalks along thin creeping stems that root as they spread, building a low, solid mat. Flowers are tiny white clusters that are easy to overlook.

Often mistaken for: Dollarweed (much larger, coin-shaped leaves with the stem attached in the center), ground ivy (square stems, minty smell, slightly hairy paired leaves) and dichondra (smooth-edged, kidney-shaped leaves)

When it shows up in the Triangle

Spreads through the warm months and can stay green through mild winters in sheltered, damp spots.

Where you’ll see it

Moist, shaded lawn areas, low spots and anywhere sprinklers keep the soil wet. It often moves in where the grass is already thin.

What you can do

• Figure out why the area stays damp: sprinklers, poor drainage, low ground or shade
• Water deeply but less often so the surface dries between waterings
• Aerate compacted soil so water soaks in instead of sitting on top
• Let more light in by thinning low branches where you can
• Thicken the grass with fall overseeding (fescue) so the pennywort has less room to creep