Silverweed is a prostrate plant of grassy places and waste ground, and also seashores and sand dunes. The plant gets its name from the silvery appearance of its leaves, which are covered in silvery hairs. The undersides of the leaves are always silvery, and the top sides are usually greyish-green, although they may also be silver.
It spreads vigorously by means of its far-creeping red rooting stems.