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Hydrocotyle vulgaris

Common name:	Pennywort	Family:	Umbelliferae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
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].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Common Pennywort [H], Ecuelle D'Eau [E], European Hydrocotyle [H], Gewone Waternavel [D], Hidrocotila [E], Pennywort [E], Pennywort,Marsh [E], Soldinella Acquatica [E], Sombrerillo De Agua [E], Wassernabel [E], Waternavel [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	vulgaris = common;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Apiales. Renamed to Apiaceae -- Carrot family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Britain; Britain(Wales); France; Germany; Italy; Netherlands; Spain

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.1m by 0.5m . It is hardy to zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from July to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist or wet soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Bog Garden.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Leaves - cooked. A strong carroty taste[183], they cannot be eaten in quantity[144].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a permanently moist position in sun or light shade[200].
Plants can be very invasive, though they are fairly easy to control by pulling out the rooted stems[200].

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.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[144] Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
A very good pocket guide.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
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.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Hydrocotyle+vulgaris
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.