Herb-of-Grace
Bacopa monnieri
Revered in Ayurvedic medicine as 'Brahmi' to sharpen memory, it is also a powerful phytoremediator capable of extracting toxic heavy metals like cadmium and lead from polluted waterways.
- Scientific name
- Bacopa monnieri
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Plantaginaceae › Bacopa
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Marshes, muddy riverbanks, shallow streams, and tidal wetlands
- Diet
- Autotroph (photosynthesis)
- Range
- India, Southeast Asia, Southern United States, Central America, Tropical Africa, Northern Australia
- Size
- Creeping stems up to 30 cm long, with leaves 4–10 mm in length
- Lifespan
- Perennial (indefinite through vegetative spreading)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Wetland drainage, aquatic pollution, and uncontrolled localized wild harvesting.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless. Safe to touch and observe. Do not consume wild-harvested specimens from untested waters, as this species bioaccumulates toxic heavy metals and pollutants from runoff.
Bacopa monnieri ( waterhyssop , brahmi , thyme-leafed gratiola , water hyssop , herb of grace , Indian pennywort ) is a perennial, creeping herb native to the wetlands of southern and Eastern India, Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia, and North and South America. Bacopa is a medicinal herb used in Ayurveda, where it is also known as "Brahmi", after Brahmā, the creator God of the Hindu pantheon.
Photo: 葉子, CC0, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/bdbd45e7-2d89-475a-928c-0a04c463d21d.md