Frogfruit

Frogfruit is a perennial forb native to Edwards Plateau, South Texas Plains, Blackland Prairie, Coastal Prairies, Post Oak Savannah. It grows best in full sun with low water needs.

Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) is a low, mat-forming native ground cover that takes foot traffic better than St. Augustine grass and uses a fraction of the water. Tiny white flowers with purple or pink centers bloom from April through October. It hugs the ground at 2-6 inches tall and spreads 2-4 feet by runners.

Frogfruit is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center plant database (aspca.org). It is the host plant for the Phaon Crescent butterfly and supports many native bees. Texas water utilities increasingly cite it in approved-plant lists for turf-conversion rebates because of its drought tolerance and pollinator value.

Ecoregion notes for Texas. In the Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains (alkaline, rocky, hot summers): native and ideal. Plant 12-18 inches apart in spring; it fills in within one season. Water once a week the first summer, then almost never. In the Blackland Prairie (DFW-Austin metros, heavy clay): native; tolerates clay better than most ground covers but spreads slower than in lighter soils. In the Coastal Prairies (Houston, Corpus Christi, sandy loam, humid): native and aggressive; easy to establish, may need edge containment. In the Post Oak Savannah (transitional Central Texas): native; performs well with light mulch the first season.

Frogfruit pairs well with Horseherb in shade and with Blackfoot Daisy or Damianita in sun for a low-water mosaic ground cover. For HOA contexts, mow once a month at 3 inches for a tighter look, or leave unmowed for a meadow effect; the unmowed look reads better in mid-zone than at the street edge. Frogfruit goes semi-dormant in hard freezes and greens up quickly in spring.

Bee species data compiled from GBIF, iNaturalist, Discover Life, and the USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab. Plant-pollinator associations informed by published ecological literature.