Japanese name: イワダレソウ（岩垂草） Scientific name:Phyla nodiflora
[Overview]
A perennial found on sunny seashores.
The stems creep along the ground, rooting at the nodes, and spread to form a mat.
The stems have ridges.
The leaves are simple and opposite, obovate-elliptic, 1–4 cm long and 0.5–1.8 cm wide, somewhat fleshy, with coarse teeth along the margin of the upper half.
The flowers are borne densely on cylindrical spike-like inflorescences arising from the leaf axils.
The inflorescence stalk is longer than the leaves.
The corolla is pale reddish purple to white, 0.2 cm across, with the tip divided into 5 somewhat lip-shaped lobes.
The bracts are fan-shaped and deep purple.
The inflorescence elongates as flowering progresses.
The fruit is a schizocarp.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by division or by stem-tip cuttings.
It prefers a sunny location and is easy to grow.
