Genus Muehlenbeckia Rank Species | ||
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Similar Muehlenbeckia, Muehlenbeckia complexa, Muehlenbeckia astonii, Muehlenbeckia australis, Polygonaceae | ||
Muehlenbeckia axillaris creeping wirevine
Muehlenbeckia axillaris (creeping wire vine, sprawling wirevine, matted lignum) is a low evergreen shrub, forming wiry mats up to about 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) in diameter, native to New Zealand, and Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria in Australia. It has thin, red-brown stems, with glossy squarish to roundish leaves that are less than 1 centimetre (0.39 in) in diameter, and 2–4 millimetres (0.079–0.157 in) thick. Flowers are inconspicuous, yellowish-white, 4–8 millimetres (0.16–0.31 in) in diameter, and borne in groups of up to 3 in the axils. Fruit is black, shiny, and up to 3.5 millimetres (0.14 in) long, produced in late summer to fall.
Contents
The plant is hardy, drought-tolerant and quick-growing, thriving in a range of light conditions. It can be cultivated as a ground cover and grows well in rocky ground as well as standard potting soil. Although it grows fastest in warm seasons, it is tolerant of freezing weather.