Practical
Plants

Hydrocotyle vulgaris

Pennywort

a perennial member of the Hydrocotyle genus in the family Umbelliferae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.1 m
Spread
0.5 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - cooked. A strong carroty taste[3], they cannot be eaten in quantity[1].

Plant part
Leaves

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa, Greece and the Caspian Sea.
Habitat
Bogs, fens and marshes, usually on acid soils[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
very acid, acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing it in early spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. If you have sufficient seed it would probably be worthwhile sowing the seed outdoors in situ in the spring. Division of rooted runners. Probably best done in spring but can be done at any time in the growing season if the plants are kept moist.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a permanently moist position in sun or light shade[4]. Plants can be very invasive, though they are fairly easy to control by pulling out the rooted stems[4].

References

  1. Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4

    ↩

  2. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

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  3. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

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  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

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