Sibthorp's Pennywort
Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides
Its round, scalloped leaves resemble tiny green umbrellas or ancient coins, giving it the common name 'pennywort'.
- Scientific name
- Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Apiales › Araliaceae › Hydrocotyle
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Damp soils, lawns, riverbanks, marshes, and wet meadows.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and soil nutrients).
- Range
- East Asia, North America, Australia, Europe
- Size
- Creeping stems up to 30 cm long; leaves 0.5 to 2 cm in diameter.
- Lifespan
- Perennial (can live indefinitely through vegetative cloning).
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Herbicide runoff, urban development, and severe drought.
- Safe to approach?
- This plant is completely harmless and safe to touch. No safe distance is required. It is safe for humans, though as with any wild plant, avoid ingesting it unless properly identified and washed.
Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides is a small plant native to southeastern Asia. It is also referred to as lawn marshpennywort . It is a dicot, traditionally placed in the family Apiaceae but more recently suggested to belong in the Araliaceae. It grows in great abundance when the conditions are right. Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides originated in southeastern Asia but is slowly spreading in the United States, along with other places around the world. It can grow in a wide variety of...
Photo: Michael J. Papay, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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