Dollarweed

Also known as: Dollarweed, Whorled pennywort, Whorled marshpennywort

Hydrocotyle verticillata forms low, dense mats of rounded, peltate, bright green leaves that resemble small coins or shields. Slender petioles hold the leaves above mud, shallow water, or an emersed aquatic basket; in deeper water the leaves may float. Tiny greenish-white flowers are produced in small axillary whorls in summer, but the ornamental value is mainly foliar. Creeping stolons root freely at nodes and allow the plant to spread rapidly across wet ground. It is a versatile water-margin plant, suitable for bog gardens, pond shelves and planted wet containers.

Dollarweed

Scientific classification

Species: Dollarweed (Hydrocotyle verticillata)
Genus: Information to be completed
Family: Araliaceae

Non-toxic to humans, cats, dogs and other household animals.
Toxicity: Aquatic · Herbaceous Perennial
Plant type: 0.1 - 0.2 metres
Height: 0.5 - 1 metres
Spread: Evergreen
Foliage: Spreading · Matforming
Habit: Spring · Summer · Autumn
Season of interest: Full sun · Partial shade
Sunlight: 15 – 25 °C
Ideal temperature

Dollarweed pictures

Information to be completed

Distribution of Dollarweed

Distribution map

Warm-temperate and tropical wetlands of the Americas and Africa

Information to be completed

Culture

Information to be completed

Toxicity

Non-toxic to humans, cats, dogs and other household animals.

Quick identification of Dollarweed

Information to be completed

Dollarweed care guide

Keep the substrate permanently wet; grow in shallow standing water or water every day in hot weather if planted in containers
Watering: Full sun · Partial shade
Sunlight: 15 – 25 °C
Ideal temperature

Watering

Keep the substrate permanently wet; grow in shallow standing water or water every day in hot weather if planted in containers

Fertilizing

Apply a diluted aquatic plant fertilizer every 4-6 weeks from spring to late summer; do not feed in winter

Pruning

Remove yellowing or damaged leaves as they occur; trim back spreading runners in summer to keep the plant within bounds. If overwintering under cover, cut old foliage back in late autumn.

Propagation

Propagate by division from spring to midsummer, or by taking stem/node cuttings. Place a node in wet loam or shallow water at 18-25°C in indirect light until roots form; rooted sections can also be detached from creeping runners and replanted immediately.

Growing

Grow in a shallow aquatic basket containing loam, or in permanently wet boggy soil; the crown should sit at or just below water level, with no more than about 5 cm of water above the compost. Position in full sun to light shade, and never allow the root zone to dry out. In cool temperate gardens treat as tender: overwinter pots in a frost-free place or move them into shallow water near a heated greenhouse. Feed only occasionally with an aquatic fertilizer during active growth, and divide congested mats regularly.

More growing and care information →

Common pests and diseases

Diseases

Generally healthy. Crown and root rots can develop if the plant is left too deep in poorly aerated water, or if water temperatures become very low in stagnant conditions.