Creeping Charlie is a herbaceous perennial with a low-growing, creeping, or groundcover habit that is a member of the Urticaceae or nettle family. It is often grown indoors as a houseplant in a hanging basket or container. When planted outside it is considered weedy. Each oval leaf is bright to glossy medium green with small scalloped edges. Veins appear to be sunken giving the interveinal sections a puffy, crinkled look. The flowers are white to pinkish but are insignificant. Sprawling fleshy stems can root at the nodes where stems contact soil so it can be quite weedy. If planting outdoors, do so in protected frost-free areas or use as a bedding or a container annual. This plant does best in semi-shade and consistently moist fertile well-drained soils in a humid environment. As a houseplant, provide water when the top 1 inch is dry and fertilize monthly from spring to fall. Consider Creeping Charlie for a hanging basket or as a trailing plant in a mixed container for your home. It is easy to grow and fast growing. Quick ID HInts: creeping, trailing, low-growing habit, dense ground cover glossy, bright green round or oval leaves with a deeply crinkled texture small white to pinkish colored blooms Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Intolerant of drought but can also be overwatered causing root rot. Also susceptible to bacterial leaf spot and mealy bugs
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Creeping
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf value
Edible; Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Bright green oval leaf with small scalloped edges. Veins appear to be sunken giving the interveinal sections a puffy, crinkly look.
Flower color
Pink; White
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Small Insignificant pinkish white flowers that appear as axillary clusters.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit detail
Small green achenes
Stem color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Reddish stems are slender, hairy, and they root at the nodes.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Central America to North Venezuela and Peru, and Caribean
Distribution
Native: Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador. El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Windward Islands. Introduced: Bermuda, Cook Island, Hawaii, Taiwan, Trinidad-Tobago
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves
Edibility
Edible leaves
Uses (ethnobotany)
The leaves are edible and can be used in teas.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Hanging Baskets
Garden tags
#houseplant #hanging baskets #garden walls #rock garden #non-toxic for cats #non-toxic for horses #non-toxic for dogs #tropical feel #partial shade tolerant #heavy shade tolerant #high maintenance #perennial #weedy #edible