Mecardonia procumbens syn. Bacopa procumbens (Baby Jump-up)

Description

I found this low growing native groundcover on the edge of a parking lot in Jasper Co., SC in 2016. On June 2017, I found out that it had never been reported northeast of Florida. It was growing in compacted soil and had surely been walked on and mown many times.Plant it in your garden to keep this native species from disappearing. Help mefind out how it grows in the garden, and how the butterflies, bees, and other wildlife use it. Thank you!

(Below are some notes from the internet that I had pasted here…to compose later.)

used by Native Nahua People in Mexico and Central America to treat abscesses and other skin problems. Native to AL, AZ, LA, FL, and SC LAAL , AZ , FL , LA , NM , TX 

http://www.floridaforaging.com/plant/mecardonia-procumbens

NATIVE TO:  “Tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas.” [1]  Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas, and scattered counties in Florida.  It has become naturalized across much of the warmer parts of the globe.  Here in Florida, in scattered counties across Florida, mostly in central or far southern parts of the state. 

HABITAT:  Riparian.  Shaded open, moist woodland edges.  

DESCRIPTION:  An small, low, annual or perennial herb, sprawling to 16” wide.  
– STEMS: Square.  
– LEAVES: “Light green, fleshy, opposite, toothed, and have pinnate venation.”  
– FLOWERS: Yellow, half inch long, tubular, “2 joined upper lobes, 3 lower lobes, and a brown-lined throat” 3 bracts at the base.  
RELATED SPECIES: Here in Florida, another native Mecardonia grows wild, along with two subspecies, M. acuminata. These are commonly known as Axilflowers. 

Flower Color
Yellow

Habitat
Aquatic Disturbed Moist woodland edges 
Native?
Native 

Plant Form
Herbaceous Deciduous Perennial Herb 
Light
Part Sun Full Sun 

REFERENCES

[7] Atlas of Florida Plants 
[6] Ethnomedicinal Application of Mercardonia procumbens, Center for Health Sciences, National Polytechnic Institute [online article] 
[3] fireflyforest.com 
[5] nativeplantproject.com 
[4] swbiodiversity.org; W. J. Hayden [photo: stems lying on gray board] 
[1] Wikipedia 
[2] wildflower.org 

Mecardonia procumbens
Mecardonia procumbens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Plantaginaceae
Tribe:	Gratioleae
Genus:	Mecardonia
Species:	M. procumbens
Binomial name
Mecardonia procumbens (Mill.) Small (1903)
Synonyms
Bacopa procumbens

Mecardonia procumbens, common name baby jump-up,^[1] is an annual or perennial herb native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. It has become widely spread in warmer regions worldwide, and is now naturalised on all continents except Antarctica, in addition to most islands with suitable climate

cv ‘Magic Carpet’ 3.98 in quart Lowes