Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

The Americas

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds, Runners

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Uncommon

About

This creeping plant grows in the wet marshes of North and South America. Its circular leaves sprout in clusters that can rotate to track the sun throughout the day.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Apiales

Family

Araliaceae

Genus

Hydrocotyle

Species

Hydrocotyle verticillata