turkey tangle fogfruit
Phyla nodiflora · Verbenaceae
turkey tangle fogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Verbenaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 5 and warmer, down to about -18°F.
At a glance
| Type | forb-herb USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 0.2 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Water need | low USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 6–8.5 USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 5 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | ground-cover Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It grows in partial shade. USDA rates it as having low water needs once established. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It is recorded on soils from pH 6 to 8.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 5.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 0.2 ft, making it a low, mat-forming plant. It grows quickly.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its active growth period is summer. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 10 to 40 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 110 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 6 inches. Fertility requirement: low — no feeding needed on ordinary garden soil.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed and sprigs. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a rapid rate. It spreads vegetatively at a rapid rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated none. Its growth form is recorded as stoloniferous.
Role in a guild
Ground cover. In a layered planting this is the lowest layer — it shades soil, holds moisture, and suppresses weeds. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Similar role and hardiness
- Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum
- Japanese sedge Carex kobomugi
- Mexican rush Juncus mexicanus
- meadow bistort Polygonum bistorta
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol PHNO2, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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