''Liriope spicata'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family ''

Asparagaceae Asparagaceae (), known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, '' Asparagus officinalis''. This family includes both ...

''. It is native to

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. It is sometimes referred to by the common names creeping lilyturf, creeping liriope, lilyturf, and monkey grass. This low-growing, herbaceous

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

has grass-like evergreen foliage and is commonly used in

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

in temperate climates as

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows low over an area of ground, which protects the topsoil from erosion and drought. In a terrestrial ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as the ...

. Creeping lilyturf has white to lavender flowers which produce single-seeded berries on a spike in the fall. It is one of the most popular groundcovers in the southeastern United States and areas with a similar climate.

Distribution and habitat

Creeping lilyturf is a native understory plant in China and Vietnam found in forests and grassy slopes at elevations of sea level to .Plants for a Future: ''Liriope spicata''.
/ref>Missouri Botanical Garden: Kemper Center for Home Gardening: ''Liriope spicata''.
/ref>

Characteristics

Creeping lilyturf is a

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

, grass-like perennial which forms clusters of narrow, arching, glossy, dark green leaves (to wide) typically growing high. Erect flower spikes with small, white to pale lavender flowers emerge, somewhat hidden, among the leaves in late summer. Blackish berries develop in fall and often persist through winter. Roots contain prominent rhizomes and frequent tubers. A cultivar exists with variegated leaves. Creeping lilyturf looks very similar to another common species in the genus—lilyturf ('' Liriope muscari''). Creeping lilyturf can be distinguished by its rhizomatous root system (in contrast to the diffused root system of lilyturf), its less prominent flower spike being partially within leaves (lilyturf has a longer spike extending well above leaves), and its generally narrower and shorter leaves when compared to those of lilyturf.

Cultivation

Creeping lilyturf is easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Moist, fertile soils with partial shade are ideal, but it also tolerates wide range of light and soil conditions. Creeping lilyturf also tolerates heat, humidity, and drought. The evergreen foliage often turns brown in late winter; old foliage can be cut back or mowed at a high setting before new shoots appear early spring. Creeping lilyturf is suitable for USDA zones 4 to 10.

Propagation

Germination characteristics of the seeds of creeping lilyturf are probably similar to those of ''Liriope muscari'', which have been investigated more thoroughly; its germination guidelines should be followed. Creeping lilyturf is easily reproduced by dividing the root mass and rhizomes.Jay Deputy. 1999. Liriope, the “Other” Mondo Grass. College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manona: Cooperative Extension Service.
/ref> The optimum time to do this is during the dormant season before onset of new growth. Plants produced by division are identical to the mother plant, and thus, cultivar traits are retained.

Uses

Creeping lilyturf is mainly used in mass plantings as a groundcover. Its tendency of aggressive spreading makes it generally unsuitable as a border plant. The species has been observed to establish rhizomes beneath concrete borders. Creeping lilyturf is an excellent plant to establish on steep slopes where erosion control is needed. Minimal maintenance is required. ''Liriope spicata'' is used as a substitute for mondo grass (''

Ophiopogon japonicus ''Ophiopogon japonicus'' (dwarf lilyturf, mondograss, fountainplant, monkeygrass; ''ryu-no-hige'' ("dragon's beard") or ジャノヒゲ ''ja-no-hige'' ("snake's beard") is a species of ''Ophiopogon'' native to China, India, Japan, Nepal, and Vie ...

'') in

Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence of effectiveness or ...

as an herb for yin deficiency.

Air quality

According to

NASA Clean Air Study The NASA Clean Air Study was a project led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in association with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) in 1989, to research ways to clean the air in sealed environments su ...

, ''Liriope spicata'' filters

formaldehyde Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is an organic compound with the chemical formula and structure , more precisely . The compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde. It is stored as ...

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...

xylene In organic chemistry, xylene or xylol (; IUPAC name: dimethylbenzene) are any of three organic compounds with the formula . They are derived from the substitution of two hydrogen atoms with methyl groups in a benzene ring; which hydrogens are su ...

and

toluene Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon with the chemical formula , often abbreviated as , where Ph stands for the phenyl group. It is a colorless, water Water is an inorganic compound with the c ...

from the air.

Problems

No serious diseases or pests occur for creeping lilyturf. Root rot (''

Pythium ''Pythium'' is a genus of parasitic oomycetes. They were formerly classified as fungi. Most species are plant parasites, but '' Pythium insidiosum'' is an important pathogen of animals, causing pythiosis. The feet of the fungus gnat are fre ...

'') has been reported.

Anthracnose A plant canker is a small area of dead tissue, which grows slowly, often over years. Some cankers are of only minor consequence, but others are ultimately lethal and therefore can have major economic implications for agriculture and horticultur ...

fungus sometimes causes reddish steaks in the leaves.

Scale insect Scale insects are small insects of the Order (biology), order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient g ...

s have been reported to cause unsightly reddish spots on leaves during late summer. Slugs and snails are occasional pests. Some people feel that creeping lilyturf has been overused as a landscaping plant and that suitable native plants can be used in its place. Lilyturf is reported to have little wildlife value. Like most other non-grass groundcovers, creeping lilyturf does not hold up to traffic well.Virginia Cooperative Extension. Diane Relf; Bonnie Appleton. Selecting Landscaping Plants: Groundcovers. (426-609).
/ref>

References

External links

Learn 2 Grow: Liriope Lovelies.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3010159 Nolinoideae Flora of Cambodia Flora of China Flora of Japan Flora of Korea Flora of Taiwan Flora of Vietnam Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine Garden plants of Asia Groundcovers Taxa named by João de Loureiro