Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L.f.

 

Apiaceae (Carrot Family)

 

Native

 

Floating Marsh-pennywort  

 

 

                                                 May Photo

 

Plant Characteristics:  Low perennial with slender  rootstocks, floating or creeping on mud; lvs. 0.5-8 cm. broad, round-reniform with cordate base, 3-7 cleft with crenate lobes, petioles 5-35 cm. long; peduncles shorter, recurved in fr.; umbels simple, capitate, 5-10 fld.; pedicels 1-3 mm. long; fr. suborbicular, 2-3 mm. long, elliptic to round, with thick pericarp and 5 obscure filiform ribs.

 

Habitat:  Ponds and slow streams, below 5000 ft.; many Plant Communities; cismontane Calif. and desert edge; to Wash., Penn., S. Am. Eu.  March-Aug.

 

Name:  Greek, hudor, water and cotule, a low vessel or cup.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 76).  Water-cup.  (Abrams, Vol. III 217).  Latin, rana, dim. ranunculus, a frog or pertaining to frogs.  Possibly the plant grows in a place where frogs are also present.  (my comment).   John Johnson has suggested that ranunculoides means like or resembling the genus Ranunculus.  Hydrocotyle ranunculoides resembles Ranunculus cymbalaria var. saximontanus and has the same water habitat.

 

General:  Uncommon in the study area and not found at all prior to 1996 when it was found in the stream bed at 23rd St.  Three colonies were found at that time and the beginnings of these probably came from Cherry Lake above.  (my comments).     The Cahuilla Indians of the Colorado Desert, the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains, likely used Hydrocotyle spp. as greens.  (Campbell 141).      About 75 species, widely distributed.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif 76).

 

Text Ref:  Abrams, Vol. III 218, Hickman, Ed. 148; Mason 627; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 77.

Photo Ref:  Jan-Mar 96 # 28A

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by John Johnson.

First Found:  March 1996.

 

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 493.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit. 7/4/05.

  

                                      March Photo                                                                        May Photo