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Araliaceae
Hydrocotyle

not marked as a favorite taxon Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunberg. Common name: Whorled Water-pennywort. Phenology: May-Jul. Habitat: Swamp forests, pools. Distribution: Widespread in North, Central, and South America.

Glossary (beta!)

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: Following Nesom & Levin (2024) and Tippery et al. (2026), we now treat this taxon broadly to include other taxa often recognized at species or variety rank (see synonymy), notably H. verticillata var. triradiata.

Synonymy ⓘ: = Bah, Can, FNA13, Meso4.1, Mex, Ok, POWO, Tn, Va, Tippery et al (2026); = Hydrocotyle prolifera Kellogg — Va; = Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunberg var. triradiata (A.Rich.) Fernald — WH3; = Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunberg var. verticillata — WH3; > Hydrocotyle australis J.M. Coulter & Rose — S, S13; > Hydrocotyle canbyi J.M. Coulter & Rose — S, S13; > Hydrocotyle interrupta Muhlenberg — Chap; > Hydrocotyle prolifera Kellogg — Ar, K1, K4, S13; > Hydrocotyle tribotrys Ruiz & Pavón; < Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunberg — Mo2; > Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunberg — Ar, K4, S, S13; > Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunberg var. fetherstoniana (Jenn.) Mathias — F, NS; > Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunberg var. triradiata (A.Rich.) Fernald — C, F, G, GW2, MC, NcTx, NS, RAB, Tat, Tx; > Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunberg var. verticillata — C, F, Fl7, G, GW2, K1, MC, NcTx, NS, NY, RAB, Tat, Tx. Basionym: Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunberg 1798

Links to other floras: = Hydrocotyle verticillata - FNA13

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Wetland Indicator Status:

  • Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL
  • Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: OBL
  • Great Plains: OBL
  • Midwest: OBL
  • Northcentral & Northeast: OBL

Heliophily ⓘ: 5

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image #1 of Hydrocotyle verticillata© Michelle W., some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Michelle W. source CC-BY | Original Image ⭷

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Horticultural Information

NCBG trait

Intro: Creeping aquatic to semi-aquatic perennial of swamp forests and pools.

Stems: Stems slender, branched, rooting at nodes, smooth.

Leaves: Leaves alternate, on long petioles attached at the center of the blade, round, shallowly lobed to scallop-margined, shiny.

Inforescence:

Flowers: Flowers in 2 or more small, few-flowered umbels arranged along upright stalk arising separately from leaves; white; sessile; tiny; consisting of 5 minute spreading petals and 5 erect stamens.

Fruits:

Comments:

Height: 3-8 in.

plant sale text:

bloom table text:

description: Creeping aquatic to semi-aquatic perennial of swamp forests and pools.

stems: Stems slender, branched, rooting at nodes, smooth.

leaves: Leaves alternate, on long petioles attached at the center of the blade, round, shallowly lobed to scallop-margined, shiny.

inflorescence:

flowers: Flowers in 2 or more small, few-flowered umbels arranged along upright stalk arising separately from leaves; white; sessile; tiny; consisting of 5 minute spreading petals and 5 erect stamens.

fruits:

comments:

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range:



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