Hydrocotyle spp.

USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 March 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Illustration courtesy of University of Florida/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. Used with permission and USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA NRCS. Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

What is Water Pennywort?

Physical Characteristics

Leaves:

Circular leaves
About the size of a 1/2 dollar coin
Shiny and leathery
Leaf stalks attach to center of leaf
Look like little umbrellas

Flowers:

White, greenish or yellow

Fruit:

Egg-shaped
Flattened

Stem:

Slender & creeping
Form dense mats

Roots:

Slender & creeping
Roots at nodes

Where Does it Grow?

Water pennywort can be found in and near ponds, lakes, rivers, and marshes.

Pros and Cons of Water 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.