This prostrate perennial, with long creeping stems, can soon overcome large areas of desirable turf. The tough, wiry stems root freely at the nodes and give rise to many new plants. Leaves are opposite, wedge-shaped, thick, tooth-like along the edges and rounded at the tip. Purple buds are very similar to a kitchen match and rise from axils of leaf clusters. These buds are soon covered with tiny pink to white flowers. In some areas of the country, members of the matchweed family are used as ground covers.