Species
Hydrocotyle verticillata
Etymology
Hydrocotyle: water cup
Common Name(s)
pennywort
Authority
Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunb.
Family
Araliaceae
Brief Description
A marginal, occasionally submerged aquatic plant, with creeping stems and round leaves, the stalk attached in its centre.
Flora Category
Vascular - Exotic
Structural Class
Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites
Distribution
Only known from a stream in Hawkes Bay and Tauranga, Bay of Plenty.
Habitat
Still and slow flowing water bodies and wetlands.
Features
Slender emergent or submerged, creeping, glabrous perennial herb. Leaves alternate, peltate, orbiculate with crenate margins, up to 60 mm across. Petiole up to 30 cm tong. Inflorescence of several whorls of subsessile flowers c. 1 mm across, pinkish green. Fruit 4 mm across, with prominent ribs.
Similar Taxa
No similar species in aquatic habitats.
Flowering
Summer
Flower Colours
Green,Red / Pink
Fruiting
Summer to autumn
Year Naturalised
1995
Origin
North Central and South America, West Indies.
Reason for Introduction
Ornamental pond and aquarium plant.
Control Techniques
Not controlled in New Zealand.
Life Cycle and Dispersal
Spreads by water dispersed fragments, deliberate planting or aquarium discards.
Attribution
Prepared by Paul Champion and Deborah Hofstra (NIWA).
References and further reading
Heenan, P.B.; de Lange, P.J.; Cameron, E.K.; Ogle, C.C.; Champion, P.D. (2004). Checklist of dicotyledons, gymnosperms and pteridophytes naturalised or casual in New Zealand: additional records 2001-2003. New Zealand Journal of Botany 42: 797-814.
Johnson, A. T. and Smith, H. A (1986). Plant Names Simplified: Their pronunciation, derivation and meaning. Landsman Bookshop Ltd: Buckenhill, UK.
Muenscher, W.C. (1944). Aquatic plants of the United States. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London. 374 pp.
This page last updated on 20 Aug 2013