Tropical Mexican Clover: Ground Cover Plant

What Is Tropical Mexican Clover and Where Does It Come From?

Richardia brasiliensis is a low, sprawling member of the coffee family (Rubiaceae), native to a broad band of South America from Ecuador to northern Argentina. It has naturalized as a common weed of lawns, roadsides, pastures and disturbed ground across the southeastern United States, Sub-Saharan Africa, India, Australia and parts of Asia. Branching stems, prostrate to semi-erect, spread from a deep taproot and can reach about 40 cm, bearing opposite, oval leaves to 6.5 cm long. Clusters of small, white to pale pink, funnel-shaped flowers appear from spring through fall, followed by hairy nutlet fruits. Fast-growing and drought-tolerant, it forms a dense mat-like ground cover in full sun and poor, sandy soils, and is sometimes grown deliberately in xeriscaping, even though in agricultural settings it is considered a competitive weed of row crops and turf.