Hydrocotyle umbellata
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- hi-droh-KOT-ol um-bell-AY-tuh
- Description
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Hydrocotyle umbellata, or Dollarweed, is a native, herbaceous, perennial weed found in moist, open areas, along roadside ditches, and swamps. It is an aquatic plant and a member of the carrot family. Dollarweed is typically used as a groundcover that can grow on land and in the water. It blooms from late spring to fall with attractive, shiny, round green leaves the size of silver dollars that form creeping, dense mats in poorly drained to wet soil in the sun. It spreads by long, creeping roots, and its seeds are eaten by waterfowl.
Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Hydrocotyle
- Species:
- umbellata
- Family:
- Araliaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Ground cover.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Leaf Cutting
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- North and South America
- Distribution:
- Eastern, Central, and Western United States. Central America.
- Wildlife Value:
- Seeds eaten by waterfowl. Submerged plants provide habitat for micro and macro invertebrates.
- Edibility:
- Leaves cause nausea. Keep away from children.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 0 ft. 4 in. - 0 ft. 8 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Ground Cover
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Native Plant
- Weed
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Creeping
- Dense
- Horizontal
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
- Texture:
- Medium
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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 Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Moist
- Occasional Flooding
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Green
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Description:
- Rounded, flat capsule.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Green
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Umbel
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Long Bloom Season
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Radial
- Star
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Small flowers on compact umbel. Blooms throughout the year.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Leathery
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Orbicular
- Peltate
- Leaf Margin:
- Crenate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Round peltate, succulent dark green leaves 1/2 to 2 inches long that grow from creeping stems. Long leaf stalks attach at the leaf centers, umbrella-like.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Creepeing stems.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Container
- Pond
- Landscape Theme:
- Native Garden
- Water Garden
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Foot Traffic
- Humidity
- Wet Soil
- Problems:
- Weedy
