View source for Groundcover

[[Image:Vinca major1.jpg|thumb|250px|Groundcover of ''[[Vinca major]]'']]

'''Groundcover''' is a [[plant]] used for the purpose of growing over an area of ground to hide it or to protect it from erosion or drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover is the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer.

Strictly speaking, the most widespread groundcover are [[Poaceae|grasses]] of various types.  In gardening terms, however, the term groundcover refers to non-grass plants that are used in place of grasses.

Four general types of plants are commonly used as groundcovers:
* [[Vine]]s, which are [[woody plant]]s with slender, spreading stems
* [[Herbaceous]] plants, or non-woody plants
* [[Shrub]]s of low-growing, spreading species
* [[Moss]] of larger, coarser species

Of these types, some of the most common groundcovers include:

* [[Bacopa]] (''Bacopa'')
* [[Hedera|Ivy]] (''Hedera'')
* [[Gazania]] (''Gazania rigens'')
* [[Ground-elder]] (''Aegopodium podagraria'')
* [[Ice plant]]
* [[Japanese honeysuckle]] (''Lonicera japonica'')
* [[Juniper]]s of various low-growing types
* [[Kudzu]]
* [[Lantana]], creeping species
* [[Lilyturf]] (''Liriope spicata'')
* [[Mentha|Mint]] (''Mentha'')
* [[Nasturtium (common name)|Nasturtium]] (''Tropaeolum majus'')
* [[Pachysandra]]
* [[Pearlwort]] (''Sagina subulata'')
* [[Vinca|Periwinkle]] (''Vinca'')
* [[Shasta daisy]] (''Leucanthemum'')
* [[Soleirolia soleirolii|Soleirolia]] (''Soleirolia soleirolii'')
* [[Spider plant]] (''Chlorophytum comosum'')

[[Category:Plant morphology]]