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:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- Tags:
-
-
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