mat-forming
Low, dense spreading
Mat-forming describes plants that grow in dense, low, spreading masses that hug the ground.
These plants spread horizontally through runners, rhizomes, or creeping stems, creating a carpet-like cover: mat-forming groundcovers like creeping thyme.
The term appears mainly in gardening and botany contexts.
Low plants blanketing soil
- creepingMoving slowly, stealthily
- spreadingExtending over space
- low-growingRemaining near ground level
- carpetingInstalled floor textile
rhizomatous · prostrate · trailing · dense · thyme · sedum · moss · phlox
Occupying and controlling territory
- nativeOriginating from a place
- invasiveEncroaching without welcome
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- microclimateLocalized atmospheric zone
succession · biodiversity · understory · shade-tolerant · drought-resistant · alpine · tundra · wetland
Act of spreading widely
- divisionSplitting into parts
- cuttingsSnipped portions for growing
- spacingInterval arrangement between objects
- mulchingCovering soil protectively
edging · pathway · stepping-stones · borders · landscaping · xeriscaping · maintenance · pruning
groundcover
Low plants blanketing soil
- creepingMoving slowly, stealthily
- spreadingExtending over space
- low-growingRemaining near ground level
carpeting · rhizomatous · prostrate · trailing · dense · thyme · sedum · moss · phlox · juniper
colonizing
Occupying and controlling territory
- nativeOriginating from a place
- invasiveEncroaching without welcome
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
microclimate · succession · biodiversity · understory · shade-tolerant · drought-resistant · alpine · tundra · wetland · dune
propagation
Act of spreading widely
- divisionSplitting into parts
- cuttingsSnipped portions for growing
- spacingInterval arrangement between objects
mulching · edging · pathway · stepping-stones · borders · landscaping · xeriscaping · maintenance · pruning · thinning