DICHONDRA GROUNDCOVER: We are looking for dichondra grass which we understand is a weed. We would like to get some to plant in our lawn and don't know where to find it. I remember it as a child in Miami--it was nice to walk on. We have moist, shady area at present and want a low maintenance, wandering spreader - Broward County

ANSWER: Dichondra is an attractive groundcover which occasionally grows in moist patches in Florida lawns. Not a grass--it's in the morning glory family--it does not withstand heavy traffic. When it grows out of place, dichondra can be considered a weed, but this tender plant is also confused with the aggressive dollarweed. Both have roundish leaves. Unlike dollarweed, whose leaf stalk is attached in the center of a round, shiny leaf, dichondra's leaf stalk is attached to the edge of a kidney-shaped, non-shiny leaf. I know of only one retail supplier of dichondra seed, Stover Seed Co., Box 21488, Los Angeles, CA 90021 (213-626-9668). It can also be propagated vegetatively. Dichondra is used under irrigation in hot, dry areas, e.g., southern California, the Sacramento Valley, and elsewhere in the desert southwest. Its main reported pest problems are the dichondra flea beetle, Alternaria fungus, and the root knot nematode. Perhaps it's worth a look.