Habitat

• native from Europe into Western Asia and then South into northern parts of Africa
• zone 4
• plant has been in cultivation for centuries

Habit and Form

• herbaceous perennial to semi-evergreen subshrub
• prostrate, spreading mat
• spreads by rooting stems
• stem tips point upwards
• slow growth rate
• fine texture

Summer Foliage

• opposite leaf arrangement
• leaves are simple and elliptical
• 0.25" to 0.50" long and 0.12" to 0.25" wide
• gray-green to medium dull green
• short petioles with oil glands
• leaves have no odor

Autumn Foliage

• no fall color
• barely noticeable in winter months

Flowers

• reddish-purple flowers, 0.25" long
• blooms June-September
• flowers bloom in dense heads
• bees are attracted to flowers

Fruit

• not ornamentally significant

Bark

• thin gray string-like stems
• not noticeable in the growing season

Culture

• easily transplanted from containers or division in spring
• best in calcareous, well-drained soil
• full sun
• prefers non-fertile soil

Landscape Use

• bank cover
• rock garden
• ledges
• crevice plant
• ground cover
• edging plant
• with stepping stones

Liabilities

• few in sect and disease problems
• bees are attracted to flowers
• unattractive in winter months

ID Features

• appears as a green mat
• opposite leaf arrangement
• purple flowers
• spreads by rooting stems
• no odor
• petioles have oil glands

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by division

Cultivars/Varieties

'Albus' - This form has white flowers.

'Coccineus' - A selection with showy red flowers, this plant is otherwise similar to the species.

'Roseus' - The blooms on this plant are pink.