Hydrocotyle L.
pennywort
Araliaceae
Brasenia, Cardamine, Centella, Ipomoea, Nymphoides, Ranunculus
cosmopolitancosmopolitan:
(adj) essentially worldwide in distribution
Hydrocotyle leucocephala Cham.& Schltdl.
H. ranunculoides L. f.
H. sibthorpioides Lam.
H. tripartita R.Br. ex A.Rich.
H. verticillata Thunb.
H. vulgaris L.
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L.f. is introduced in Australia and Europe.
H. sibthorpioides Lam. is introduced in the United States.
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.
amphibious, creeping stoloniferous plant
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)
peltate, orbicularorbicular:
(adj) circular in outline
to reniformreniform:
(adj) kidney-shaped
; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
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
umbel, 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.
shallow waters of rivers and lakes, wet littorallittoral:
(adj) of or along the shore
zone, and wet ground
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.