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Carpet Weed
Mollugo stricta
ザクロソウ
A small annual herb growing in fields and roadsides. Stems creep along the ground or ascend slightly. Named for its leaves arranged in apparent whorls that resemble pomegranate leaves. Small white flowers bloom from summer to autumn.
Identification Points
- ✓Leaves spatulate to oblanceolate, appearing whorled
- ✓Small white flowers (2–3 mm across) in leaf axils
- ✓Stems slender, creeping or ascending
Habitat
Fields, roadsides, and sandy ground
Season
July–October (flowers)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Herb
Leaf arrangement
Whorled
Leaf shape
Needle
Habitat
Cultivated
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Ovary position
Superior
Phylogenetic Positionザクロソウ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Caryophyllales > Molluginaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (ca. 45 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Molluginaceae belongs to Caryophyllales; it includes species with near-CAM drought tolerance mechanisms, adapted to nutrient-poor environments.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification