Native Ground Covers of New Zealand | NZ Native Plants

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Introduction

Overview

New Zealand native ground covers are diverse, hardy plants that form low-growing mats and carpets, perfect for stabilizing soil, covering difficult areas, and creating attractive underplantings. These resilient species include Acaena species (Bidibidi), Fuchsia procumbens (Creeping Fuchsia), and Leptinella species, many of which produce distinctive flowers, fruits, or seasonal colour changes. Native ground covers are invaluable for erosion control, wildlife habitat, and low-maintenance landscaping in challenging sites where traditional lawn struggles to thrive.

Cushion Daisy (Abrotanella caespitosa)

Cushion Daisy

Abrotanella caespitosa

Cushion Daisy (Abrotanella caespitosa) is a specialized alpine cushion plant that forms dense, low-growing mats in high-country environments.

Small Cushion Daisy (Abrotanella pusilla)

Small Cushion Daisy

Abrotanella pusilla

Tiny Cushion Daisy (Abrotanella pusilla) is a unique New Zealand native plant, valued for its distinctive form and ecological importance in its natural habitat.

Acaena Anserinifolia

Bidibidi

Acaena anserinifolia

Bidibidi (Acaena anserinifolia) is a unique New Zealand native plant, valued for its distinctive form and ecological importance in its natural habitat.

Sand-dune Bidibidi (Acaena fissistipula)

Sand-Dune Bidibidi

Acaena fissistipula

A coastal groundcover with narrow leaflets and purple-brown flower heads, endemic to sandy dune systems.

Sand Piripiri (Acaena pallida)

Sand Piripiri

Acaena pallida

A robust coastal groundcover with glossy leaves and distinctive red spines, crucial for stabilizing sand dunes.

Small-leaved Bidibidi (Acaena microphylla)

Small-Leaved Bidibidi

Acaena microphylla

A hardy native ground cover renowned for its characteristic reddish burrs and dense mat-forming growth habit.

Red Bidibidi (Acaena novae-zelandiae)

Red Bidibidi

Acaena novae-zelandiae

A vigorous, mat-forming ground cover with reddish-brown foliage and distinctive spiny burrs.

Spoon-Leaf Bidibidi (Acaena saccaticupula)

Spoon-Leaf Bidibidi

Acaena saccaticupula

A distinctive alpine groundcover with blue-green foliage and red flower heads, endemic to South Island high country.

Puatea (Anaphalioides trinervis)

Puatea

Anaphalioides trinervis

Resilient trailing perennial with glossy green foliage and delicate white flowers, ideal for damp banks and shaded areas.

Centella (Centella uniflora)

Centella

Centella uniflora

Hardy native groundcover with glossy kidney-shaped leaves; thrives in damp or shady spots.

Mercury Bay Weed (Dichondra repens)

Mercury Bay Weed

Dichondra repens

Versatile native ground cover forming a lush green carpet of kidney-shaped leaves, ideal for lawn alternatives and gap filling.

Bronzy Willowherb (Epilobium komarovianum)

Bronzy Willowherb

Epilobium komarovianum

Prostrate native herb forming dense coppery mats with dimpled leaves and small white flowers, ideal for damp spots.

Creeping Willowherb (Epilobium nummulariifolium)

Creeping Willowherb

Epilobium nummulariifolium

Prostrate native herb forming dense yellowish-green mats with red-margined leaves and delicate white flowers.

Trailing Pennywort (Hydrocotyle elongata)

Trailing Pennywort

Hydrocotyle elongata

An adaptable native groundcover thriving in diverse conditions, from dry shade to damp areas, with soft, lime-green leaves.

New Zealand Pennywort (Hydrocotyle novae-zelandiae)

New Zealand Pennywort

Hydrocotyle novae-zelandiae

A fast-growing, mat-forming herb with round glossy leaves, excellent for damp ground cover and pond margins.

Cotula (Leptinella squalida)

Cotula

Leptinella squalida

A low-growing, fern-like ground cover that forms a dense, green carpet, often used as a lawn substitute.

White Star Creeper (Lobelia angulata)

White Star Creeper

Lobelia angulata

A delicate, mat-forming ground cover with small white star-shaped flowers and tiny rounded leaves.

New Zealand Mint

New Zealand Mint

Mentha cunninghamii

Fragrant native herb with creeping stems and sweet minty scent, ideal for moist ground cover and sensory gardens.

Creeping Pōhuehue (Muehlenbeckia axillaris)

Creeping Pōhuehue

Muehlenbeckia axillaris

A dense, wiry ground cover with small, round leaves, excellent for covering banks and trailing over walls.

Leafless Pōhuehue (Muehlenbeckia ephedroides)

Leafless Pōhuehue

Muehlenbeckia ephedroides

A unique sprawling, grey-toned native shrub that often appears leafless, forming dense mats in rugged coastal and riverbed environments.

Snow Hebe (Veronica albicans)

Snow Hebe

Veronica albicans

A compact and hardy alpine hebe with striking bluish-green foliage and clusters of white flowers, ideal for rock gardens and exposed sites.

Disc Hebe (Veronica pinguifolia)

Disc Hebe

Veronica pinguifolia

A compact and very hardy alpine shrub with distinctive thick, blue-green scoop-shaped leaves and profuse clusters of white flowers in summer.

Whipcord Hebe (Veronica tetragona)

Whipcord Hebe

Veronica tetragona

A unique North Island alpine shrub with four-sided branches and scale-like leaves that mimic a conifer, forming low spreading mats in garden settings.

Hamilton's Tetrachondra

Hamilton's Tetrachondra

Tetrachondra hamiltonii

A rare, creeping native forming turf-like patches in moist, open habitats.

Bower Spinach

Bower Spinach

Tetragonia implexicoma

Bower Spinach is a native New Zealand plant with notable features; well suited to New Zealand plantings.

Forest Violet

Forest Violet

Viola filicaulis

Slender, creeping native violet with white or cream flowers, ideal for cool, shaded forest gardens.

Lyall's Native Violet

Lyall's Native Violet

Viola lyallii

Charming native violet with delicate purple-veined white flowers, perfect for damp, shaded ground cover.

NZ Harebell (Wahlenbergia albomarginata)

NZ Harebell

Wahlenbergia albomarginata

Charming mat-forming herb with delicate white to pale blue bell-shaped flowers on slender stems.

New Zealand Harebell

New Zealand Harebell

Wahlenbergia violacea

Slender perennial herb with bright blue-violet flowers; perfect low-growing groundcover for disturbed sites and informal plantings.

Small Shade Nettle (Australina pusilla)

Small Shade Nettle

Australina pusilla

This resilient riparian specialist colonises dense forest floors alongside streams, with glossy leaves and regional seed variations from northern to Chatham Island populations.

Hooker's Azorella (Azorella hookeri)

Hooker's Azorella

Azorella hookeri

Named after botanist Sir Joseph Hooker, this compact cushion plant forms dense mats with trifoliate leaves, thriving in rapidly draining alpine feldmark habitats.

Pale Azorella (Azorella pallida)

Pale Azorella

Azorella pallida

This endemic cushion plant creates striking yellow-green moss-like mats in montane bogs, with tiny trifoliate leaves and minute umbels of flowers on thread-like rhizomes.

Tussock Bindweed (Convolvulus verecundus)

Tussock Bindweed

Convolvulus verecundus

Endemic South Island bindweed forming low mats via creeping rhizomes, producing variable white, pink and red flowers in sparse montane habitats from Clarence to Central Otago.

Mirror Plant (Coprosma petriei)

Mirror Plant

Coprosma petriei

Dense, low mat‑forming Coprosma for sun and lean, free‑draining soils; identification, habitat and cultivation.