Hydrocotyle

Scientific name

Hydrocotyle L.

Common names

pennywort

Family

Araliaceae

Similar genera

Brasenia, Cardamine, Centella, Ipomoea, Nymphoides, Ranunculus

Native distribution

cosmopolitancosmopolitan:
(adj) essentially worldwide in distribution

Species cultivated

Hydrocotyle leucocephala Cham.& Schltdl.

H. ranunculoides L. f.

H. sibthorpioides Lam.

H. tripartita R.Br. ex A.Rich.

H. verticillata Thunb.

H. vulgaris L.

Adventive distribution

Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L.f. is introduced in Australia and Europe.

H. sibthorpioides Lam. is introduced in the United States.

Weed status

Some terrestrialterrestrial:
(adj) growing on land as opposed to living in water
species of Hydrocotyle are considered serious weeds in disturbed areas in several countries, and Hydrocotyle ranunculoides is an aquatic weed in several countries.

Habit

amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
, creeping stoloniferous plant

Brief description

Perennial. Stems floating or creeping, rooted at nodes, stoloniferous. Leaves produced at most nodes, usually floating or emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
, sometimes submersedsubmersed:
see submerged
, on elongate petiolepetiole:
(n) the stalk of a leaf
, stipules present; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
peltatepeltate:
(adj) of usually flat organs such as leaves: having its stalk attached to its underside away from the margin, near the center
, orbicularorbicular:
(adj) circular in outline
to reniformreniform:
(adj) kidney-shaped
; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entire or lobedlobed:
(adj) divided into (usually rounded) segments
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
an axillaryaxillary:
(adj) in, of, or produced from an axil
umbelumbel:
(n) a flat to convex inflorescence in which the flower pedicels (called rays) all arise from the same point
, rarely a spikespike:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranching inflorescence of sessile flowers or flower clusters on a usually elongated axis
. Flowers small and inconspicuous. Dispersal by seed or stem fragments.

Natural habitat

shallow waters of rivers and lakes, wet littorallittoral:
(adj) of or along the shore
zone, and wet ground

Additional comments

Hydrocotyle is a large genus of at least 75 species worldwide, of which only 5 are aquatic or amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
. The genus was recently transferred from Apiaceae to Araliaceae.