Tropical Chickweed

Drymaria cordata

Tropical Chickweed is a warm-season annual broadleaf weed that is also known as Heartleaf Drymary and West Indian Chickweed. Its scientific name is Drymaria cordata.

Identify

Opposite

Round

Tropical Chickweed can be identified by its ascending, weak stems and spade-shaped leaves, which grow opposite each other. This broadleaf weed can root at the lower nodes and reproduces by seeds and stem fragments. Tropical Chickweed produces small, greenish flowers in long, wide, spreading clusters with thin, easily broken branches. Its flowers and seeds are sticky and will stick to clothing and/or hair.

Life Cycle

This broadleaf weed grows in moist to wet wooded areas, as well as in all disturbed areas. It thrives in the southern part of the United States, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana.

Control

A thick dense lawn is the best defense against invading broadleaf weeds. Drymaria cordatausually cannot be controlled by physical removal methods, such as weed-pulling, as this can spread seeds of this weed to additional areas of your lawn and landscaping. Prevention through proper mowing and watering techniques is key. If already present in your lawn, professionally selected and applied broadleaf weed killers—based on your specific climate and geography—are the most effective method for control.