Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Whorled pennywort
Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunb.
3–10 cm
Height in the aquarium
medium to high
Light
medium
CO₂ needs
18–25 °C
Ideal temperature
Water parameters
Understand these values- Position
- midground, foreground
- Propagation
- runners, cuttings, separating offshoots
- Grows emersed
- yes
In the wild
Overview
Each leaf looks like a small parasol, with the stalk attached at the centre and no notch. The runners creep in or over the substrate and make a foreground dotted with these green discs. This pennywort from warm regions of the Americas thus differs from the climbing habit of H. leucocephala.
- Scientific name
- Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunb.
- Classification
- Apiales › Araliaceae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Africa, Australia, North America, Central America, Caribbean, tropical South America, southern South America
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Introduced in Rivers and lakes
- Native countries
- Introduced by people
Outside its native range, in 9 countries:
An aquarium plant must never reach the wild: throwing away cuttings or emptying a tank into a stream can be enough to establish it.
Countries: Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP). Dots: GBIF observations in the native countries.
In the aquarium
Growing in the aquarium
Light intensity affects its height: more light keeps it lower. CO₂ and balanced feeding help growth, but very generous feeding can enlarge the foliage. Trim the runners to contain the planting and keep gaps between the leaves rather than letting the whole foreground fill up.
Sources:Flowgrow Tropica GBIF POWO (Kew) · Base map: Natural Earth