This ground cover is doing really well here, I've taken cuttings and used it to edge a lot of beds. The common name here is Coqueta Colgante, which means something like 'hanging flirt' in English. I can't find it using that name and thought perhaps someone would recognize it. I've never noticed any blooms on it, it occasionally throws pure white leaves.

Reminds me of Euonymous Emerald Gaiety, can't be certain though. They do tend to spread sideways and go upwards slowly, they don't flower that I know of. Is that a plant which you are likely to have there?

http://www.google.co.uk/search...

Makes lovely ground cover for sure...

Well, some of the pictures really look like it but I'm kind of amazed at how different other pics look. Same for the descriptions, some say it is a climbing vine, others a bush up to a meter high, and some describe it more like what I have, a ground cover that creeps. Although many of the pics were from the UK, it seems to grow in almost any zone. Some mention that the edges of the leaves get pink in the winter. I don't have "winter" as found farther north so perhaps that is why I have not seen that variation. At any rate, thank you as it certainly seems that what I have is some form of euonymus fortunei emerald gaiety. I'm not sure I feel confident enough to put it in the database but I'm going to put it in my records that way. What do you think about the database? The only picture of it there looks quite different than my plant.

I very much doubt the plant in the gallery is correct.



I have had it for many years, it does creep sideways and roots as it goes, it slowly climbs upwards too to about a metre but doesn't need support. There may be another variety which it could be, there was one on the market a few years ago which has new growth white, it could be that. However, Emerald Gaeity is a good spreader and I'm not sure the other one is (if I can find the name!), EG also has an occasional white leaf as often happens with variegated Euonymus. A regular pruning will keep it low to the ground as it readily branches out from leaf nodes. I found a close up of what it looks like in reality, this might help ..

http://plantsgallery.blogspot....

If you don't feel confident about it, try to get some closer shots of the leaves and see where or if we can go from there.

The other one I was thinking of is Euonymus fortunei Harlequin but it has very speckly variegation, I don't think it's as robust as Emerald Gaeity either. There could still be another!

I'm wondering if it isn't a Peperomia...there are over 1000 species, almost all from the tropical Americas, but two that are commonly grown are P. obtusifolia and P. magnoliifolia, both having variegated cultivars, and often mistaken for each other. The leaves are highly variable in size and shape.

The closest photo I found is just captioned Peperomia sp. http://toptropicals.com/pics/g...

A possibility?

Peperomia magnoliifolia variegata ..

http://www.google.co.uk/search...

http://www.google.co.uk/search...

I'm willing to consider anything else as a possibility, not sure if either of those are close enough though. Still could be Peperomia, we need to see closer shots of the leaves.

The leaves on the Peperomia seem thicker and more succulent like than this plant. Here are some pics of the leaves up close and the stems. Also, the Peperomia leaves are alternating it appears and these and the Euonymus are opposing.

It's certainly looks like Euonymus, now I can see it does have puckered leaves which is odd! If you can find one which has this you might have a name, it could be something causing the effect or just an oddity in a batch of plants.

The leaf shape looks narrower than Emerald Gaiety, there is one called Euonymus japonicus Microphyllus Albovariegatus but I've seen that and the leaves are not so glossy, with duller colouring and quite small.

http://www.google.co.uk/search...

So far it still looks like Emerald Gaeity but with unusual leaves. I checked all the variegated (v) fortunei on the RHS but couldn't find anything closer, there's other variegated japonicus as well but they don't seem to fit.

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/rhsplan...

If you can find online sources selling Euonymus you might find what is commonly sold around you.

<<sigh>> you have such organized options in the UK, and in the US and Canada no doubt. That's not really available here, at least that I've ever found. There is an ebay type online store but they rarely use scientific names either. There is one nursery in the city that I've found usually does know the scientific name and seem much more interested and professional about it. I will have to go and see if they offer the plant and whether they know what it is.

Is it possible that the wrinkling of the leaves is due to our intense sun? These are in full sun and they have not moved as quickly into the bordering areas that are in shade.

I had thought the heat could cause the puckering, it seems to be the green parts which pucker and that might also cause the leaves to be a different shape.

I found it on some US sites, I checked all the Euonymus on the Missouri botanical garden site but didn't find anything else matching. It has an RHS AGM as well which means it's a good all round plant, and one which is likely to be more widely sold.

http://www.missouribotanicalga...

The plants here look just enough different, puckering leaves, that it might be another version of the Euonymus Gaiety. I found this pic which I took last week at a nursery so I could remember the common name. This is not where I bought my original plants, so the wrinkling leaves seem to be normal here.




I will look for some Spanish language garden sites and see if I can find it.

Okay, think I found it. Alternanthera ficoidea 'Snow Queen' or 'Snow Mound' or similar cultivar; found one reference in Spanish for "Nombre común: Coqueta"

Enlarge the image on this link: http://www.accentsforhomeandga...
Also see discussion and photos of various Alternanthera ficoidea cultivars (including 'Snow Queen', 'Snow Carpet": http://newplants.tripod.com/al...

Wow! That sure looks like it. I searched a bunch of Spanish gardening sites and mostly discovered that there are dozens of plants commonly called 'coqueta' in spanish. One of them is Alternanthera Ficoidea but it was the colorful one, Jacob's coat I think. Now that I have looked at all of these Alternantheras, I recognize several others that I've seen in the nurseries here.

I think that a Alternanthera Ficoidea Snow Queen is the one I have, it looks identical to mine. Plus, I was always a bit bothered by the other descriptions saying it could grow to several feet in height. This one says 6" to 12" which is closer to what I've seen over the last 2 years with mine. I think we've got an ID here, what do you think? Should I put it in the database?

I think so too. It looked familiar; I happened to see a gardening friend earlier who has one!! No wonder it looked familiar...lots of people here have it!

Yours is much nicer - she just has one plant. I like the way you've lined the edges with it. The leaves are so interesting too. Now I need to get a piece from her - they're easy to start as you've discovered.

I have the colorful one; there are many neat cultivars of A. ficoidea and I like them all except 'Red Thread'. Nasty thing seeded everywhere and was ugly too!

It sure should go in the database, especially since from what I read 'Snow Queen' is the only one that doesn't flower.

Glad we figured it out.

Well done Monica!

I found another called Alternanthera ficoidea 'Snowball' but I think Snow Queen fits well.

http://www.onlineplantguide.co...

It's certainly not like most Alternanthera!

http://www.google.co.uk/search...

I looked at Snowball too but it seems to stay in a definite mound and this one spreads sideways. I have also seen a lot of the Brazilian Red Hot around here, it's almost too bright for the spots I could put it but it's certainly an eye catcher. It's for sure that there are a lot of plants in the Alternanthera family that don't look anything like this one. I'm going to pay more attention when I think I see one now and see how many are available here.

I wish I could send you some Monica, but you shouldn't have a problem with a start from your friend. They root easily. I've never seen a bloom but I'll admit that I don't get down and inspect it closely very often either They could be inconspicuous and I'd miss them.

Is that Duranta erecta 'Gold Edge' in your avatar? I have that one too, it is a great filler.

I'm going to mark this one done, thank you so much Monica and Janet. I'm slowly recording the names I can find for the plants I have.

Hi Jonna, it's Duranta erecta 'Aurea'; very similar to 'Cuban Gold' and 'Goldmound' but a bit larger I believe. Is yours all gold, or gold edged? Here they're selling 'Gold Edge' as a variegated Duranta. Good eye! They are lovely fillers for full sun. I have a few scattered about along with Duranta 'Sapphire Showers'. Lost my tree 'Sweet Memories' to Hurricane Ike.

The Alternanthera make little dirty white flower puffs about 1.5-2 cm. They aren't inconspicuous but not showy either. You would notice them if your plants flowered. You just wouldn't be impressed

I don't seem to have a recent pic of my duranta, there is only one now and it is much larger although I cut it back all the time. There are large heliconia behind it and unless I have just tied them back it gets crowded for sun and leans out into the path. This pic is from 2010 when I had just planted them. I need to replace the one I lost as they are great pops of color below the heliconia, of course I also need to stay on top of keeping the heliconia from leaning over them.

Good line about the Alternanthera blooms, I'll be sure and take a picture if they ever bloom so we can all be unimpressed