Lippia nodiflora 'Campagna Verde'

Kurapia in June 2014 in full bloom, pruned to 3.28' (1 meter) on Low irrigation at UC Davis. Photo: SK Reid.

Summary

South Coast Research & Extension Center (South Coast REC/SCREC) is located in Irvine California, this site has a sandy loam soil and plants are irrigated with reclaimed water. UC Davis is located in Davis, California, this site has a silty clay loam soil and plants are irrigated with potable water. More information about the field sites is located in the Nuts & Bolts section.

Kurapia is a vigorous low growing plant marketed as a “utility groundcover” with white flowers. Kurapia has been evaluated twice at UC Davis - firstly in the 2-meter trial field and then in the 3-meter spacing, in 2014 and 2018, respectively. In the 2018 trial Kurapia was evaluated at UC Davis and South Coast REC in a paired evaluation with a new version of Kurapia, a cultivar called New White. Plants were installed from #1 sized containers per trial practice – note this is different than how Kurapia is typically found in the market (sod & plugs). The plants were irrigated with drip rings located underneath the mulch and plant canopy. Drought trials performed at UC Riverside evaluated Kurapia grown as a turf and irrigated with overhead irrigation, results can be found here. Kurapia was rated highly by participants at Open Houses in September at both sites. A separate report was created for the Kurapia evaluation in 2014 and 2018, the text below provides a brief overview of performance – please review the reports for more detailed information.

UC Davis Trial - Davis, CA

In the 2-meter trial conducted in 2014, each plant quickly outgrew the space allotted to it for the length of the trial and had to be cut back twice in two years (the second time in July, 2014) to prevent it encroaching on nearby plants. Each time it was cut to a 1 m diameter circle. In the first year the plants grew from an average of 16” across to 52” across between April and November. All plants were pruned to a 1 meter (3.28’) diameter circle in mid-June and by October some had attained a width of 139” (11’ 7) – growing on average 7” per week! Overall plants maintained a low height with an average of 5”

In 2018 Kurapia was evaluated again in a trial comparing the original cultivar to a new successor, New White. Based on the vigor observed in 2014, plants were spaced 3 meters apart. All plants were trimmed to a 1-meter circle at the end of June 2018. The average plant width subsequently attained by October for the standard Kurapia in Davis was 143.1” with an average height of 8.6”. Overall Kurapia performed well on all treatments, earning a Blue Ribbon. Based on our results, we recommend irrigating Kurapia on WUCOLS Low Category of Water Needs in Region 2.

South Coast REC Trial - Irvine, CA

In Irvine Kurapia was evaluated in 2018 in full sun with 3-meter spacing between plants and rows. The average width attained by the standard Kurapia in October was 156” with an average height of 7”. Kurapia flowered profusely throughout the season. At the Open House participants noted that there were lots of flowers on Kurapia, however the spent flowers did detract from appearance. This was an area of disagreement between the Open House results and monthly ratings collected by trials staff who preferred the more compact, less floriferous New White cultivar to the standard Kurapia. As the season progressed some plants declined in quality while others appeared unaffected. This resulted in Overall Appearance ratings being lower at the end of the deficit season than the outset of the trial, though the mean overall appearance for the season was a respectable 3.4, on the low treatment. There was a noticeable difference between the medium and low treatments in September, 3.6 vs 2.9, respectively. However, by October all three treatments had a mean overall appearance of 3. Due to a monthly overall appearance below 3 in September, we are recommending Kurapia be irrigated on Low, with the potential of shifting to a Medium/Moderate Category of Irrigation in response to plant appearance.

Kurapia flowers in May 2014; sterile flowers still visited heavily by pollinators. Photo: SK Reid.

Basic Info

Growth and Quality Data

Click Here for Complete Data Set

Kurapia in August 2014 on 80% ET0 outgrowing allotted space. Photo: SK Reid.

Kurapia on 20% ET0 in September 2014 growing into surrounding areas. Photo: SK Reid.