Fauna
Plant · GBIF taxon 3034603

American Water-pennywort

Hydrocotyle americana

Also known as American Marsh-pennywort, Marsh Pennywort

American water-pennywort carpets saturated forest floors, spring runs, and shaded stream banks across eastern North America with lush mats of scalloped, kidney-shaped leaves. Slender thread-like stolons creep along damp muddy soils, rooting at the nodes to form dense green patches throughout wet woods. In midsummer, tiny greenish-white flowers bloom almost unnoticed in compact clusters nestled directly in the leaf axils.

WetlandCreepingPerennial
American Water-pennywort reference1 / 7
Licensed reference(c) Tom Scavo, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & prey
  • Autotrophic (Photosynthetic)
Predators
  • Aquatic snails
  • Waterfowl
  • Herbivorous insects
ThreatsWetland drainage, canopy clearing, invasive plant competition
HabitatsShaded seeps, stream banks, wet woods, spring runs, swamps
Life spanPerennial
Classification
  1. FamilyAraliaceae
  2. SpeciesHydrocotyle americana
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
  • Habitat Cues: Look along shaded muddy stream banks, seeps, and spring runs where soils remain continuously saturated.
  • Leaf Inspection: Examine the leaf stem attachment, which connects at the scalloped leaf notch rather than the center.
Related species
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