Origin:
Several varieties, some native to Europe and others native to the United States. They are found throughout the U.S.
Biology:
Perennial weeds that are either aquatic or semi-aquatic and occurring in very wet places. Hydrocotyle means, literally, “water cup”, and describes the leaf shape. Propagation is by seeds or by the creeping rhizomes, which root at the nodes and give rise to new stems at the nodes.
Identification:
Mature plants can form solid beds due to the wide, flat leaves. Leaves are borne singly at the ends of long, thin stems that attach at the center of the leaf and extend down to roots buried in the soil in shallow water. Leaves are round and roughly 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter, with a distinct umbrella-pattern to the veins. Flower stalks arise separately from the roots and flowers are in clusters at the end of the stalk, arranged as small white to yellow flowers in an umbrella-like head.
Characteristicts Important to Control:
Perennial plants that are aquatic, with reproduction by the rhizomes.
