Description
Hydrocotyle – Pennywort –
There are over 100, moisture loving herbaceous perennials and marginal aquatic perennial species, in this genus. They occur in Eurasia, North America, and New Zealand, found from sand dunes to stream or lake margins, in swamps, or in moist woodland, from sea level to alpine areas. They have a low, creeping habit, almost circular, light to dark green leaves, and inconspicuous, rounded flowers in small umbels. Grow as groundcover in bog garden, in damp sites, or pond margins.
Grow in moderately fertile, humus rich, moist soil in sun or partial shade. To grow pennyworts as marginal aquatics, plant in the muddy edges of a pond, or in containers of loamy soil to confine their spread. Divide in spring.
H. americana – H. ranunculoides – This creeping, marginal aquatic perennial from North and South America and New Zealand has an indefinite spread. It produces rounded, mid green leaves, to 2″ long, borne on leaf stalks, ½-4 ½” long. In summer it bears stalkless umbels of 3-5 inconspicuous, rounded, greenish white flowers.
Zones 8-10
