Dollarweed

Description:

Dollarweed was growing in a sanddune next to a driveway.

Habitat:

Sanddune on Dauphin Island.

Notes:

The most common is the native pennywort, the round Hydrocotyle bonariensis, and the main lawn interloper. It’s about the size of a silver dollar under good conditions. Its stem attaches to the center of the leaf. Next is its close cousin, the Marsh Pennywort, or Hydrocotyle umbellata (um-bell-AY-tuh which means with umbels.) Equally edible, one often sees wading limpkins running across the top of floating masses of Marsh Pennywort, hoping to turn bug into bird. The Hydrocotyle bonariensis and Hydrocotyle umbellata are similar in appearance except the latter can easily grow far larger.