Whorled Marshpennywort

verticillata: whorled

Glabrous creeping herb, rooting at the nodes. Leaves peltate.

Widespread throughout the tropics and subtropics.

Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunb. Diss. Hydrocot. 2. 1798 Not H. verticillata Turcz. 1S49.
Hydrocotyle vulgaris sensu Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 1: 161. 1803. Not H. vulgaris L. 1753.
Hydrocotyle interrupta Muhl. Cat. 30. 1813.
Hydrocotyle vulgaris var. verticillata Pers. Syn. PI. 1: 301. 1805.
Hydrocotyle vulgaris var. communis Cham. & Schlecht. Linnaea 1: 356. 1826.
Hydrocotyle interrupta var. tuberosa DC. Protlr. 4: 59. 1830.
Hydrocotyle interrupta var. platy phvlla DC. Prodr. 4: 667. 1830.
Hydrocotyle cuneata Coult. & Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 7: 28. 1900.
Hydrocotyle verticillata var. cuneata Jepson, Madrono 1: 124. 1923,
Plants glabrous; stems filiform, creeping; leaves orbicular-peltate, 5-60 mm. in diameter, 7-14-veined, shallowly 8-13-lobed, the lobes crenate; petioles slender, 0.5-26 cm. long; inflorescence an axillary, simple, interrupted, once or twice bifurcate (rarely trifurcate or quadrifurcate) spike, 1.5-17 cm. long, with 2-7 few-flowered verticils, the interverticillar distance 2-60 mm., the flowers sessile or subsessile; involucre of a few inconspicuous lanceolate bracts; fruit ellipsoid, 1-3 mm. long, 2-4 mm. broad, the dorsal surface acute, narrowly rounded to cuneate at the base, oblong in cross section, the dorsal and lateral ribs distinct, acute, the commissural surface constricted; oil-bearing cells conspicuous; seed oblong-ovate in cross section.
Type locality: Not given by Thunberg; a collection of Michaux from "America" cited by A. Richard.
Distribution: Massachusetts to Florida, west to Missouri and Texas; southern Utah, California, New Mexico, and Arizona, south to Mexico; Bermuda, Jamaica, and the West Indies. {Curtiss 5377 , Suksdorf 563.)

Hydrocotyle verticillata, also known as whorled pennywort, whorled marshpennywort or shield pennywort, is a flowering plant found in South and North America and the West Indies. Its creeping habit and unusual leaves give it its common names. It grows in places that are marshy, boggy, or even wet.
Hydrocotyle verticillata is used in aquaria, where it is undemanding; it does prefer a good substrate, however, and at least moderate light. It benefits from additional carbon dioxide. It is widely used as a foreground plant.