groundcover

Kidney weed

Dichondra repens

Climate-suitable non-native

Growing guidance

Horticultural figures below are practitioner estimates for planning, pending expert review. The botanical record further down is sourced and verifiable.

Current-climate suitability

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Future-climate resilience

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Sun

Partial shade

Soil moisture

average, moisture-retentive

Heat tolerance

Up to about 42°C

Cold tolerance

Down to about -4°C

Waterlogging tolerance

3/5

Drought tolerance

3/5

Mature size

0.05–0.1 m tall, 0.5 m spread

Seasonal interest

Evergreen · Green

Maintenance

low

Wildlife supported

General wildlife value 2/5 (verified species relationships are shown only where structured data exists)

Known risks or warnings

Thins under heavy use and hard frost.

Toxicity: none

Verified botanical record

Accepted scientific name: Dichondra repens J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.
Family: Convolvulaceae (Solanales)
Rank and status: species · accepted
GBIF record: Taxon 2928667

Recorded native range: Desconocido, Parque Nacional Natural Complejo Volcanico Doña Juana - Cascabel

Ranges are exactly as recorded in the GBIF source checklists and may be incomplete for widely cultivated species.

Dichondra repens, commonly known as kidney weed, Mercury Bay weed, tom thumb, or yilibili in the Dharawal language, is a species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae and is native to Australia, New Zealand, and the Indian Ocean islands, Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues. It is a perennial, herb with kidney-shaped to round leaves and small, greenish-yellow, star-shaped flowers.

Description from Wikipedia — Dichondra repens (CC BY-SA), shortened and unedited in substance.

Native status and geographic context

United Kingdom: climate-suitable
United States: climate-suitable
Australia: native

Native status is never inferred from climate similarity. Plants restricted or invasive in a jurisdiction are excluded from recommendations there.

Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where to buy

Real retailers serving UK. Garden Forward publishes no prices of its own — each link opens the retailer's own search results, where their current price and stock are shown.

Search Sarah Raven for Dichondra repens
Perennials, bulbs and seed, delivered across the UK.
Search Farmer Gracy for Dichondra repens
Bulbs and perennials shipped direct from Dutch growers.
Search Ashridge Nurseries for Dichondra repens
Bare-root trees, hedging and fruit in the dormant season.
Search Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants for Dichondra repens
Specialist hardy perennial nursery.
Search Marshalls Garden for Dichondra repens
Fruit, vegetable plants and seed.

No affiliate relationship is in place with these retailers, so nothing here earns Garden Forward a commission. Search links checked 2026-09-17. Availability of a species is never a reason it is recommended.

Companion palettes

Not currently in a sample palette.

Climate-resilient alternatives

Data sources

Taxonomy and native range: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Species description: Wikipedia — Dichondra repens
Photograph: Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Growing guidance: Practitioner horticultural estimates pending expert review

Botanical record checked 2026-09-17 · growing guidance last reviewed 2026-06-01 · confidence medium

Demonstration data. Climate, plant and retailer records shown here are realistic samples awaiting horticultural validation and live data connections.