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American Water-Pennywort Hydrocotyle americana

Other Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
HY-droh-klees a-mer-ih-KAY-nah
Description

Water Pennywort is a small creeping native plant that typically grows in moist areas such as bogs, seeps, boggy fields, wet woods, and lake margins. It is found in eastern North America from Canada to SC and in NC it is found in the western Appalachian mountains. The plant spreads by stolons that root along the ground and produce small tubers. This plant requires cool summer temperatures and moist to wet conditions. 

It can be grown in sun to partial shade in 1-gallon pots with up to 2 in. of water over the crown or in bogs or around streams or ponds.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#full sun tolerant#water garden#stream banks#NC native#creeping#pond garden#mountains#groundcover#cool weather plant#partial shade tolerant#boggy sites
 
Form
Form sophiegibbs CC BY-NC 4.0
Flowers, leaves and stem
Flowers, leaves and stem Doug McGrady CC BY 2.0
Flowers
Flowers Nate Martineau CC BY-NC 4.0
Leaf closeup
Leaf closeup Nate Martineau CC BY-NC 4.0
Fruit
Fruit Rob Routledge CC BY-NC 4.0
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#full sun tolerant#water garden#stream banks#NC native#creeping#pond garden#mountains#groundcover#cool weather plant#partial shade tolerant#boggy sites
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Hydrocotyle
    Species:
    americana
    Family:
    Araliaceae
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    East Canada to North Central & Eastern U.S.A
    Distribution:
    AR , CT , DC , DE , IN , KY , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , PA , RI , SC , TN , VA , VT , WI , WV Canada: NB , NL , NS , PE
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Herbaceous Perennial
    Native Plant
    Water Plant
    Habit/Form:
    Creeping
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Drainage:
    Frequent Standing Water
    Occasionally Wet
    NC Region:
    Mountains
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Green
    Fruit Type:
    Capsule
    Fruit Description:
    Fruit is tiny, dry, flattened, and circular, containing two seeds that split apart.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Insignificant
    Umbel
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Summer
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    Inconspicuous white flowers below the leaves in the axils. 5 petals and 5 stamens 1.8 inch orsmaller. Blooms June to September
  • Leaves:
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Shape:
    Orbicular
    Leaf Margin:
    Lobed
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Width:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Leaves are round to kidney-shaped, ¼ to 2¼ inches wide, with 6 to 10 shallowly toothed, shallow lobes around the edge, on a sparsely hairy stalk up to 2 inches long. Stem attaches near the center of the leaf.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Green
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Surface:
    Smooth (glabrous)
    Stem Description:
    Stems are hairless, slender and creep along the ground, rooting at the nodes
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Pond
    Riparian
    Landscape Theme:
    Native Garden
    Rain Garden
    Water Garden
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Wet Soil