Whorled Pennywort
Hydrocotyle verticillata
Araliaceae
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About
Hydrocotyle verticillata carries round, peltate leaves on upright stalks: the stalk joins the blade near its centre rather than at the edge, so every leaf reads as a tiny green umbrella held 10-15 cm above the substrate. Underwater the shoots travel sideways instead of upward, laying runners across the bottom and building an airy, mushroom-like patch that breaks up the fine foliage of stem plants. Despite the shared genus it looks nothing like Hydrocotyle tripartita (sold as "Japan"), whose leaves are small and deeply cut into clover-like lobes - shops stock both under the name Hydrocotyle, so check the leaf shape before you pay.
Care
Not a low-light plant. It wants medium light, roughly 40-90 PAR; in a dim tank the stalks stretch toward 20 cm, the leaf discs shrink and the patch goes leggy and bare at the base, which is the usual disappointment. CO2 is not strictly required, but it is what keeps growth low, dense and horizontal rather than reaching. Flowgrow and Aquasabi both rate this species difficult: the hard part is not keeping it alive but keeping it compact. It grows fast and travels by runners, so expect to trim every week or two and to see the emersed-grown pot shed its firm land leaves before submersed foliage takes over. Soft to moderately hard water suits it best, and soft leaves make it fair game for goldfish, large cichlids and other plant eaters.
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Frequently asked questions
- What water parameters does a Whorled Pennywort need?
- Whorled Pennywort does best at 10–27 °C (50–80.6 °F), pH 5–7.5 and a general hardness of 1–25 °dGH.
- Where should Whorled Pennywort be placed in the aquarium?
- Whorled Pennywort works best in the foreground and reaches around 20 cm.
- Is the Whorled Pennywort suitable for beginners?
- Whorled Pennywort sits in the middle of the difficulty scale — manageable for a careful beginner who has done the reading, but it has specific needs worth researching first.
Sources
- Flowgrow Wasserpflanzen-Datenbank: Hydrocotyle verticillata
- Aquasabi Aquarium Shop: Hydrocotyle verticillata (Quirliger Wassernabel)
- Buce Plant: Whorled Pennywort (Hydrocotyle verticillata)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Whorled marshpennywort (Hydrocotyle verticillata)
- Flowgrow Wasserpflanzen-Datenbank: Hydrocotyle cf. tripartita (Hydrocotyle sp. "Japan")