Abundance: plentiful
What: leaves, stems
How: raw (good in salads)
Where: yards
When: spring, summer, fall, winter
Nutritional Value: Minerals
Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of pony's foot are arranged alternately along the stem.
Leaf Shape: The leaves are kidney-shaped to nearly circular, typically measuring about 0.5 to 1 inch across.
Leaf Venation: The venation is palmate, with several veins radiating from the leaf base.
Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaves are entire, meaning they are smooth without any serrations or lobes.
Leaf Color: The leaves are a rich green color, often with a slightly lighter shade on the underside.
Flower Structure: The flowers are small and typically borne singly on slender stalks that arise from the leaf axils.
Flower Color: The flowers are usually white to greenish-white.
Fruit: The plant produces a small capsule as its fruit.
Seed: The seeds are tiny and contained within the capsule.
Stem: The stems are thin, trailing or creeping, and can root at the nodes.
Hairs: There may be fine hairs on the stems and the underside of the leaves.
Height: Dichondra carolinensis is a ground cover plant and typically grows right against the ground.
Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.
North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Running rampant but usually unnoticed, young pony's foot is a bland green, best used to cut the bitterness of other wild greens. However, once it gets bigger than a dime it does start turning bitter itself. The leaves are connected to a stringy, tough runner. Remove them from this runner for a more enjoyable eating experience. They are pretty much available all year long, even surviving freezes. Being so plentiful, they are a very good "dilutant" for bitter greens such as dandelions, chicory, sow thistle, and wild lettuces.
Some people confuse Pony's Foot with Dollarweed (Hydrocotyle species). The leaf of dollarweed is a complete circle whereas pony's foot is cleft, giving it the shape of a horse's hoof.
Dollar weed on left, Pony's Foot on right.
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