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Largeleaf Pennywort

Hydrocotyle bonariensis

Found in beaches, dunes, and moist sandy areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
Up to about 10 inches
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to wet

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
April to September

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 41 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Coastal dunes and beaches

Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 145 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

6CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Hydrocotyle

  • Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
  • Enigmogramma basigeraPink-Washed Looper Moth
  • Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
  • Papilio polyxenesBlack Swallowtail, Celery Caterpillar, Fennel Worm, Desert Black Swallowtail, Parsnip Swallowtail
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Hydrocotyle

  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Gallinula galeataCommon Gallinule
  • Quiscalus majorBoat-tailed Grackle
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Araliaceae
Flower color
White

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Florida rankSNR
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources