Dry Maria, White Snow, Drymaria, Drymaria cordata. Photo by Green Deane
Drymaria cordata: Kissing cousin chickweed
Drymaria cordata is one of those plants that confounds the mind. You know what it resembles: Chickweed. It has one of the main characteristic of chickweed, an elastic inner core. However it ain’t your usual chickweed, but it is a kissing cousin. It reminds you that plants are in families for a reason and they do look alike as many family members do.
D. cordata’s growth habit closely resembles chickweed (Stellaria) but the leaves are wrong, there is no fine line of hair on the stem, and the leaves do not taste like raw corn. Nonetheless. your mind, that great pattern finder, says this is chickweed.
West Indian Chickweed can indeed look like snow.
Were it not for the fact it surrounded my tangerine tree years ago I would have never paid much attention to it. Drymaria cordata (dry-MAIR-ri-ah core-DAY-ta) is one of the few edibles that is not mentioned in virtually any of my 100-plus books on foraging. There is also the issue of what to call it: Drymary, Heartleaf Drymary, Whitesnow, Tropical Chickweed, West Indian Chickweed. It also has a second scientific name Drymaria diandra, though some list that as a subspecies or a variety and it has many herbal uses. And the genus name is no help. Drymaria comes from the Greek word drymos (dreeMOS) meaning forest. The D. cordata does not grow in the forest, but apparently some relative did thus the name. Cordata helps. The leaves are roughly heart shaped. Diandra is Greek and means twice the man, or two men. It does not mean “Diana” as a lot of baby name books say. There is no linguistic justification for that. To say Diandra is Greek for Diana is to ignore that the Greek name for Diana is Artemis, and that diandra literally does mean two men. To go from two men to a goddess is a bit of a leap. However what diandra means referring to the plant is a good guess. In botany diandra usually means two stamens. The cordata has three stamens.
Unlike its relative chickweed, Stellaria, only the leaves and young shoots of the D. cordata are eaten. They are also ground, boiled, then the water filtered and the water used for a variety of medicinal issues. Science has confirmed it has some interesting properties. See the Herb Blurb below. Drymaria cordata also invades 31 commercial crops in 45 countries.
Mild in flavor, raw leaves can be added to salad or other dishes. You can also cook them. As they are used in several herbal applications I suggest you don’t over do them in one meal, particularly raw. Also, Drymaria gracilis is edible as well but…
Inkweed, Drymaria pachyphylla is toxic. Photo by New Mexico State University.
One other thing: It has a relative, Drymaria pachyphylla (dry-MAiR-ee-a pak-ee-FIL-uh) also called the Thick Leaf Drymaria. It is poisonous. Fortunately it looks a lot different, usually growing in a small rosette just a few inches across. It’s native range is Texas through the southwest. It often poisons livestock. Avoid it.
Green Deane’s “Itemized” Plant Profile
IDENTIFICATION: D. cordata: Annual herb with slender, smooth stems to about a foot long, frequently rooting at the nodes. Leaves roughly heart shaped, opposite, very short stems. Veins in leaf palmate from the base (the veins go out like five fingers from the bottom end of the leaf, clearly seen on the underside.) Flowers on long stalks; 5 sepals, petal 5, deeply 2-lobed, shorter than the sepal, white; 3 stamen, style divided into three below the middle. Does NOT have milky sap. If you have a plant you think is chickweed and it has milky sap you have the wrong plant
TIME OF YEAR: During the cool weather in warm climates, spring and summer in more temperate climates. Far more distributed around the world them most official maps show, Florida to Nepal to Africa.
ENVIRONMENT: Likes sun and moist soil, a pesky weed to cultivated areas and lawns around the world.
METHOD OF PREPARATION:Leaves usually used raw in salads. Has a tender, mild flavor. As it is also an herbal medication, don’t eat a truck load at a time. (Also see chickweed elsewhere on this site.)
HERB BLURB
Abstract:
Different extracts of Drymaria cordata Willd (aerial parts) were tested for antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29737, Escherichia coli ATCC 10536, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Bacillus pumilis ATCC 14884 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 25619. The effects produced by the extracts were found to have significant activities against all the organisms being tested and the effects so produced were compared with those of chloramphenicol. The methanol extract was found to be the most effective.
Abstract:
The methanol extract of Drymaria cordata Willd, was investigated for its effect on a cough model induced by sulfur dioxide gas in mice. It exhibited significant antitussive activity when compared with the control in a dose-dependent manner. The antitussive activity of the extract was comparable to that of codeine phosphate, a prototype antitussive agent. The D. cordata extract (100, 200, 400 mg/kg) showed 11.6%, 31.6% and 51.5% inhibition of cough with respect to the control group.
Abstract
A novel anti-HIV alkaloid, drymaritin (1), and a new C-glycoside flavonoid, diandraflavone (2), along with eight known compounds, torosaflavone A, isovitexin, spinasterol β-D-glycoside, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, cis-p-coumarate, methyl 5-hydroxy-4-oxopentanoate, and glycerol-α-lignocerate, were isolated from Drymaria diandra. Drymaritin (1) exhibited anti-HIV effects in H9 lymphocytes with an EC50 value of 0.699 μg/mL and a TI of 20.6. Compound 2 showed significantly selective inhibition on superoxide anion generation from human neutrophils stimulated by fMLP/CB with an IC50 value of 10.0 μg/mL.
Hi there
This weed has totally invaded my lawn and I am desperate to get rid of it. Do you have any suggestions?
It is edible, at least when young. As it is a close relative of the chickweed that which kills chickweed should kill it.
I’m living in Durban area of South Africa. This weed has devastated our kikuyu lawn grass. I found that sprinkling table salt over infestations kills it but the salt burns the grass leaves. The grass mostly grows back though. One had to keep at it and not gibe the weed a chance to flourish. It could take many years of dedicated attention to get rid of it. There are salt tolerant grasses that can be used for a home lawn which can be introduced if your existing lawn suffers from your salt treatments.
My goodness people, is anyone listening to what Deane is saying? These plants are food, not something to be manicured because they don’t look nice! There is absolutely NO chance that the herbicides applied to your lawn will not adversely affect some other organism, whether right in your lawn or after being rained into the ground. These chemicals are not benign, even though the people profiting from them would like you to think so.
Thank you!
Well put, thank you!
Thank you! I kept wanting to make this chickweed, but knew it wasn’t. This plant is all around my home and neighborhood in Gainesville, Florida, but I couldn’t find it in any of my books. It was also difficult to track down on the Internet. Most sites that talk about common Florida “weeds” do not even mention it.
Quote above-
“Mild in flavor, raw leaves can be added to salad or other dishes. You can also cook them. As they are used in several herbal applications I suggest you don’t over do them in one meal, particularly raw.”
What outcome (pun?) could be expected from overindulging?
Great site…………………….
It is in the book, Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses by University of Florida IFAS extension.
Estamos enfrentando uma infestação de Drymaria Cordata em nosso sítio em Analândia SP Brazil. A praga que começou a infestação há quatro anos, hoje não escolhe nem época do ano nem local. Está presente em tempo integral independentemente de clima, época ou tipo de solo. Já tentamos o controle com capina e com aplicação de Tordom e outros herbicidas para folhas largas, mas tudo sem sucesso. Será que teria alguma sugestão?
Translated: We are facing an infestation of Drymaria Cordata in our site in Analândia SP Brazil. The plague that began four years ago, infestation today did not choose or time of year or location. Is this full time regardless of the weather, season or soil type. Already tried the control with weeding and with application of Tordom and other herbicides for Broadleaf, but all to no avail. Do you have any suggestions?
I’m sorry. I know very little about killing plants. Surprisingly I’m asked that kind of question often.
I have collected some from my yard and dried it for use as a tea when a cold hits and I may be tincturing some as well…. Used extensively in African Traditional medicine as well as in India. I also read it is used in China for snakebites…I see no reason to kill it.
It’s interesting that you don’t mention the sticky seedpods on elongated stems that stick to your clothing. I don’t think chickweed has these sticky seedpods. Is that an easy way to tell this plant apart from chickweed?
Thank you for the medicinal herbal information! I have this all over my yard. Good to know it’s useful as well as pretty and soft to walk on.
When the seed pods are sticky is when most folks first notice the plant.
When the seed pods are present, would this no longer be considered young growth to harvest for medicine?
As far as I know it is also eaten when it has seed pods. I have never avoided it then.
yes!
Exactly! My dachshund walks in the patch of this crap and has seeds all over nose, mouth, belly and legs. It takes minimum 30 minutes to clean seeds off, bath and dry her. It’s a weed and not a miraculous herb in my yard. I read all this article and received no help. But I will win. I am all about clean, health plants, living in peace with the environment and not causing harm but not everything that grows , especially in inconvenient places needs to be saved. That is ridiculous!
I’m with you Connie. All of my dogs have had these sticky seeds that resemble sperm attach to them if they simply brush past it. And it sticks to our shoes and pant legs when we walk them. Haven’t been able to get rid of the stuff. I don’t care if it is edible or medicinal or anything else. It is co-mingled with our lawn and is pure nuisance for us.
Agree this (DRYMARIA CORDATA) has taken over out otherwise mostly native ground covered backyard. Worse, it’s all over our house, rugs, poodles, pants, shoes, poodles, couch, chairs, cushions…did I say Poodles!? You could be starving and not be able to eat that much West Indian Chickweed. Our backyard is organic. For 7 years we’ve maintained it organically. This…is a whole new problem, that we have no idea on how to solve.
With reference to: http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/67767518/analgesic-antipyretic-activitie the academic journal – African Journal of Traditional, and Alternative Medicine Jan, 2012, Issue 1,p.25 ,the following abstract is given :
Drymaria cordata (Linn.) Willd (Caryophyllaceae) is an herbaceous plant widely used in traditional African medicine (TAM) for the treatment of diverse ailments including painful and febrile conditions. This study was conducted to investigate the analgesic and antipyretic properties of the whole plant extract of D. cordata. The acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin, and tail clip tests were used to evaluate analgesic activity while the 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP)-, d-amphetamine-, and yeast-induced hyperthermia tests were used to investigate antipyretic activity in rodents. D. cordata (100, 200, and 400 mg kg-1, p.o) produced significant (p<0.05) analgesic activity in the mouse writhing, formalin (second phase), and tail clip tests. The effects of D. cordata were generally comparable to those of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA, 100 mg kg-1, p.o) and morphine (2 mg kg-1, s.c). Also, D. cordata produced significant (p<0.05) dose-dependent inhibition of temperature elevation in the 2,4-DNP and yeast-induced hyperthermia models with peak effects produced at the dose of 400 mg kg-1. The effect at this dose was comparable to that of ASA in the two models. In the d-amphetamine method, D. cordata produced significant (p<0.05) dose- and time-dependent reduction of temperature elevation with peak effect produced at the dose of 200 mg kg-1. The effect of the extract at this dose was greater than that of ASA. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that the aqueous whole plant extract of Drymaria cordata possesses analgesic and antipyretic properties mediated through peripheral and central mechanisms.
Wow, that’s a barbaric experiment!
So glad to know I am not the only one who kept trying to make this chickweed! I’ve seen it around in other years, but this year, maybe because of the warm/wet winter, it has really spread out in my garden, landscape beds at work, and a stormwater ditch site. I finally went to Wunderlin and Hansen’s Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants and searched for every non-native in my county (553) and looked at photos of each one to figure this bugger out.
Thanks for having the low-down on it. At least it’s nice to know that if it’s going to act ill-mannered, one can eat it, in moderation. And for those who really don’t want it around? If it’s not interleafed with other plants, boiling water works and works only on what it touches, leaving the rest of the garden happy and healthy.
Back to question!!! How do you get rid of Tropical Chickweed????
My dog has lost a lot of hair because of combing, I am sure she would
be grateful for a good solution!
Thanks,
B.
That’s outside my area of knowledge. I’m not an agriculturist and my entire focus is not to get rid of plants but use them.
Use boiling water! Nontoxic simple boiling hot water will rid most unwanted herbs and weeds.
Denise—and what about the surrounding grass? Surely that will die too. I tried clearing the area by depriving it of light and as soon as I lifted the tarp and planted seed it was back. The only effective way to rid of it is to eliminate it for long enough to grow the grass thick and lush.
I’ve searched and don’t get have a good answer.
Do you know whether Creeping Jenny (sold as groundcover, half-inch or less round leaves, evergreen near Atlanta, Georgia, bright green in spring/ plum in winter, fairly invasive, mats and spills out of containers) is edible?
After fighting it for so long, it would be great to discover I could eat it!
If your “Creeping Jenny” is Lysimachia nummularia then this is what the Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America says on page 198: “The leaves of L. nummularia, moneywort, introduce from Europe and L. quadrifolia, whorled loosestrife, Eastern North America, — have occasionally been used as tea.”
Hi im Navin from Sikkim(india) . I did not found the uses of this plant which I was expecting to be. because I think in our state Sikkim (India)have much more information about this plant.I think you should come to our beautiful state sikkim and research further to know more about Drymaria cordata
Good to know it’s edible but it does tend to take over and the grass gives up. A great & safe weed killer is white vinegar. Use a sprayer with full strength vinegar on any unwanted weed but it will also kill the grass & maybe other plants sprayed as well.
Has anyone experimented with a change of soil ph? Also my yard is very nutrient deficit and I want to believe this plant is creating something for my soil. All is well. It will grown until it finds the yard no longer suited for its needs. Certainly it is laying down a lot of seeds for the future! My dogs are now self medicating by licking the sticky seed pods? Sounds healthy! I like anything but grass!
You are absolutely right. My back brain kept saying chickweed, but my front brain kept saying it doesn’t have the right leaves and with no flowers to go on, I believed my front brain. Opposite but very vaguely chordate leaves; running stems rooting at nodes; and lots of googling finally led to Drymaria cordata and even eventually an Australian weed page with good pictures, but yours is the best write-up. Can’t say I like the taste, so I’m going to weed it back in this Queensland garden.
To the OP, Norma: I have the worst infestation of D. Cordata. What a pain! The sticky seed pods have turned a nice walk in on my half acre into a major P.I.T.A. I have been working on a way to stop it, but Drymary is very prolific, and it’s not easy to stop, at all. Diligence has been my best weapon so far.
No one is going to like this, but I actually pull it out by hand, but absolutely BEFORE it seeds. After it seeds: big hassle. Roundup is not the answer. Roundup is nasty and stinks the soil up for eons. I don’t trust Roundup, anyway. I tried Roundup on D. Cordata, and I was sorry. So, I have (amongst other methods) finally resorted to taking a Hudson sprayer, and filling it with isopropyl alcohol 50%, or 70%, and spraying it on the millions of seed pods. Then I set it on fire. Yes, that’s right, on fire. This is purely insane, but that’s the only way to stop the seeds from making millions more of these horrid sticky seeds. I’m finally ahead of it and it’s been working so far. Then a few weeks later, when they begin to grow again from the nodes, I go at them with a scuffle hoe, and I NEVER let it seed again. Never.
I have found that, inside the sticky little D Cordata seed pod is three or four tiny black seeds the size of a granule of ground black pepper. Yep, that’s how small the seeds are, and that’s why it’s so darn prolific. I realize what I am saying may sound ludicrous, but I have tried many different ways to rid my yard of this super-pest, and I am finally winning. But keep in mind that I don’t let a week go by without a walk through my yard, obsessively pulling them and putting them carefully in a bucket, of which I have many stationed around the half acre. Sometimes, I’ll take a two-step approach (when it had begun to spring up everywhere), I mark them with surveyors flags, and come back the next day to pull them out.
I’ve lived here for some 25 years and I have NEVER met such a match as D Cordata. This has been costly to remove and the best thing to do is NEVER, ever mow the seeds, and NEVER let D. Cordata seed. It actually seeds quite quickly. But you will have a big price to pay, as it gets on everything, suede shoes being the worst, or perhaps, animal fur, or anything. It sticks to anything. This is the fight of my life for my once nice yard. I just ignored it for a few years, mowed it absent-mindedly a few times, and it creeped up on me. Now I am paying the price.
Good luck Norma (the original poster here). Hope you win.
Isopropyl alcohol is a carcinogen (Hulda Clark). The rules of pharmacopoeia dictate that rubbing alcohol contain 70% ethyl alcohol (vodka), but it’s cheaper to use isopropyl.
I’m at war with these hitchhikers and they are winning, I am considering fire yes fire a lot of fire
I live on the Gold Coast in Australia up in the hinterland and I have this tropical chickweed as well
However I have started using a natural herbicide which is simply week acetic acid and a herbal oil.
I have just been experimenting with it for a couple of weeks but it seems to be doing the job
The leaves are turning brown and the nasty sticky seeds have also changed colour
there is only a limited amount I can eat
The reminder is a pesky weed and it has to go
there is no need to have an excess.
even a vegetable oil may work with some acetic acid.
We have a weed here (SE Alabama) that looks a lot like this but I am pretty sure ours is Dichrondra carolinensis. I have never seen it bloom, but then, it does not need to–it multiplies on runners. Can I eat it???
Does Drymaria cordata smell fishy?
Thanks.
No. Nearly odorous.
Thank you, Green Deane – you sure are good!
sir can you help me the anatomical structure of study in this drymaria cordata
I have 1-2 inch long weeds growing in patches like mad all over my moist lawn on the east side of the Big Island of Hawaii this spring. Is it Chickweed? Here’s a picture of a couple next to a guitar pick. https://drive.google.com/file/d/10uJ1dsMLK-bI_tBs5PfImq8bg4y_Q3wV/view?usp=sharing
I’m living in the Durban area of South Africa. This weed has devastated our kikuyu lawn grass. I found that sprinkling table salt over infestations kills it but the salt burns the grass leaves. The grass mostly grows back though. One has to keep at it and not give the weed a chance to flourish. It could take many years of dedicated attention to get rid of it. There are salt tolerant grasses that can be used for a home lawn which can be introduced if your existing lawn suffers from your salt treatments.