Doveweed is a weedy, prostrate, summer annual in the spiderwort (Commelinaceae) family. Doveweed often forms a dense mat and is considered a weed in lawns, gardens, and other open or lightly shaded sites. It is native to tropical Asia and Australia but has naturalized in most of the warm-temperate and tropical Americas. The species epithet is Latin for "naked flower" and refers to the leafless stalks that bear the flowers. This weed germinates and grows best in hot, wet weather with most seedlings emerging late May through August. Doveweed is propagated exclusively by seeds, and plants may produce several generations in one season. When very young, this plant can easily be confused with a grass. Plants flower from summer into fall and then die after frost. The stems are succulent, trailing, and root at the nodes. A related species, marsh dayflower ( Murdannia keisak ) , is less common but grows in similar habitats. Marsh dayflower tends to be larger and more vigorous than doveweed. Also, the sepals are shorter than the petals in doveweed, but in marsh dayflower the sepals are about as long as the petals. Doveweed is difficult to control. Infestations generally begin in drainage ditches or low spots where water stands. Few herbicides control this weed. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on identifying and controlling Doveweed. This species is not recommended for any garden or wild habitat. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: Doveweed spreads aggressively within the lawn by thick, above ground, creeping stolons. Management can take two to three years. It can cause contact dermatitis in dogs that are built low to the ground.
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.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Creeping; Horizontal; Prostrate; Spreading
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear
Leaf feel
Fleshy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves are 2 to 5 inches long, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide, pointed, with parallel veins; alternate and spirally arranged, clasping the stem with a sheath. When very young, this plant can easily be confused with a grass.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender
Flower form
Cyme; Solitary
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Pinkish-Purple or violet 3-petalled flowers occur in loose groups from mid-summer to fall. Inflorescence is terminal or terminal and axillary; cymes few-flowered, solitary or fascicled, long-pedunculate; bracteoles caducous. Flowers bisexual, slightly bilaterally symmetric, less than 1/4 inch wide.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Capsules 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Two seeds 2 per locule, deeply pitted.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Tropical and Subtropical Asia and Western Pacific
Distribution
South Carolina south to Florida and west to Texas. Central and South America, Central Africa, Japan.