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Useful Temperate Plants

Hydrocotyle vulgaris

L.

Apiaceae


The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.

+ Synonyms

Common Name: Pennywort

No Image.

General Information

Hydrocotyle vulgaris is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.10 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

17
Title
Flora of the British Isles.
Publication
 
Author
Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1962
ISBN
-
Description
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
,
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

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[
17
Title
Flora of the British Isles.
Publication
 
Author
Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1962
ISBN
-
Description
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *
HabitPerennial
Height0.10 m
PollinatorsSelf
Self-fertileYes
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Requires a permanently moist position in sun or light shade[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Plants can be very invasive, though they are fairly easy to control by pulling out the rooted stems[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked. A strong carroty taste[
183
Title
Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications
Year
1990
ISBN
0-9628087-0-9
Description
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
], they cannot be eaten in quantity[
144
Title
Wild Food in Australia.
Publication
 
Author
Cribb. A. B. and J. W.
Publisher
Fontana
Year
1976
ISBN
0-00-634436-4
Description
A very good pocket guide.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

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.
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-10-06. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Hydrocotyle+vulgaris>

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