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Manyflower Pennywort

Hydrocotyle umbellata

Manyflower Pennywort Locations in North America
Manyflower Pennywort Locations in Southeast US

Water Pennywort
Water Pennywort Flower

USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 March 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Illustration: USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA NRCS. Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

What is Manyflower Pennywort?

Physical Characteristics

Leaves:

  • Disk- or shield-shaped
  • Up to 3 inches in diameter
  • Has round-toothed edge
  • Leaf stalks mostly slender
  • Leaf stalks up to 16 inches long (usually much shorter)

Flowers:

  • Peduncles up to 13.78 inches long
  • Peduncles longer than leaves
  • Many flowers

Fruit:

  • Disk- or elliptical shaped
  • 0.05-0.08 inches long
  • 0.08-0.13 inches wide

Stem:

  • Slender
  • Floating or creeping

Where Does it Grow?

Manyflower pennywort can be found in swampy areas in shallow water, the edges of ponds, ditches and in marshy ground.

Pros and Cons of Manyflower Pennywort

The seeds of pennywort are used occasionally as food by waterfowl. Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.

How to Manage This Plant
Plant Glossry

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Photo Credits: The majority of the aquatic plant line drawings are the copyright of the University of Florida Center for Aquatic Plants (Gainsville). They are used with permission.

Aquatic plant photographs were provided by David Bayne, Jim Davis, Kelly Duffie, Billy Higginbotham, Michael Masser, John Clayton, Chetta Owens, Diane Smith, Joe Snow, Don Steinbach, Bridget Robinson Lassiter and Peter Woods.

You may use these photos, so long as you give credit to AquaPlant.

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