Houttuynia cordata
Unwanted organism, National Pest Plant Accord
Houttuynia, chameleon plant
- Scientific Name
- Houttuynia cordata
- Origin
- Asia.
- Type
- Weed
- Plant Life-form Type
- Marginal erect/tall
- Taxonomy
- Thunb.
- Presence
- Naturalised in Northland, Auckland and Bay of Plenty, possibly elsewhere as a garden ecape
- Habitat
- Water body margins and wet forest habitats
- Notes
- Potentially a major weed in New Zealand
- Propagation
- Plant fragments and seed
- Features
- H. cordata is a perennial ground cover plant (ca 30 to 60 cm tall) with heart shaped leaves (up to 75mm long and almost as wide). The leaves vary in colour (green, cream, bronze, red) depending on the habitat. Leaves are opposite on thin erect stems which arise from slender rhizomes. The flowers are minute and densely clustered on short spikes.
- Source
- TIFBIS