Round leaves held up like small umbrellas. Hydrocotyle verticillata attaches each leaf to its stalk at the center rather than the edge, so the foliage stands upright on thin stems instead of trailing flat — a shape nothing else in a planted tank produces. It works submerged, floating, or around the edge of a pond.
What You'll Receive
- Sold as a bare-root plants, bunched plants, or potted plants
- Bare-root plants: Loose bare-root portion. Approx. 6 plants
- Bunched plants: rooted plants bundle with foam and plants weight
- Potted plants: rooted plants potted with rockwool
Plant Profile
- Common name — Umbrella Pennywort
- Scientific name — Hydrocotyle verticillata
- Also known as — Whorled Pennywort, Whorled Marshpennywort, Shield Pennywort
- Origin — The Americas
- Placement — Foreground to midground; also floats or grows pond-side
- Mature height — 4-8 inches
- Growth rate — Fast
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner
- Light — Medium to high. Weak light gives long bare stalks and few leaves
- CO₂ — Recommended
- Water — 72-82°F, pH 6.0-7.5
- Substrate — Roots into substrate or grows floating; feeds from roots and water column
- Growth habit — Amphibious; also grows emersed in moist soil
- Propagation — Runners; cut and replant sections
Grower's Notes
- Three habitats, one plant. It roots in an aquarium, floats on the surface, or grows around a pond margin in wet soil. Few plants let you move stock between a tank and a pond as conditions change.
- Leggy growth with bare stems means not enough light. Move it up in the tank or increase intensity rather than fertilising harder.
- Runners spread quickly and cross into neighbors. Trim at the substrate every few weeks to hold a boundary.
- Cuttings root from any node. Pin sections down with plant weights until they anchor.
- The upright leaf on a central stalk is the identifying feature — useful when telling this apart from the flat-creeping Hydrocotyle tripartita.
Notes
- Pictures are not the actual plants you will receive, but a sample representation. Unless specific, we don't guarantee aquatic plants will be free of pests, and pesticides, grow emerged, or submerge.
- Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
At a glance
- Free shipping on orders of $150 or more (after discounts) within the contiguous United States, by USPS.
- Free thermal protection is included with every shipment, all year round.
- Processing: most orders leave us within 1 to 2 business days. Tracking is emailed when your order ships.
- USPS (2 to 5 business days) ships Monday through Saturday.
- UPS 2nd Day Air® ships Monday through Wednesday. Order by Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- UPS Next Day Air® ships Monday through Thursday. Order by Wednesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and military addresses ship by USPS at a flat rate shown at checkout.
- Weather holds: during extreme heat or cold we may hold live orders until it's safe to ship.
- We ship within the United States only.
Please bring live plants indoors and unpack them the day they arrive. Every live order is covered by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee.
The complete rules, including lost packages and address issues, are in our Shipping Policy. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
Every live order is backed by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee. If a plant arrives dead, we'll make it right.
How it works
- Tell us within 24 hours of the delivery time on your tracking.
- Send photos of the affected items in their original, unopened packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label, to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com with your order number.
- We'll make it right with a replacement, store credit or refund for the affected item.
Good to know
- Some melting or yellowing as plants adjust from greenhouse to aquarium life is normal. They regrow from healthy roots and rhizomes.
- Please bring your package indoors and unpack it the day it arrives.
- Free promotional items and shipping charges are not covered.
The complete rules, including what's covered and what voids the guarantee, are in our Returns, Refunds & Live Arrival Guarantee. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised the healthy, vibrant plants arriving in excellent condition with "more than promised" stems. Described as "fast grower" with new growth appearing overnight to within days. One customer noted stems grew taller than expected in their 22-inch deep tank. Praised for "excellent packing," generous portions, and converting well from emersed to submerged growth.
- Absolutely blown away by the big, hearty, gorgeous bunches I received
- Already there's some new growth that was not there at all when I put it in my tank
- Plants arrived healthy and green. Plenty of stems, more than the 6 promised
J
I love tidy aquarium plants, and I’ve always loved the character of TAME specimens of the pennywort family. In re-scaping my 10 gal tank, I knew I wanted to include gorgeous, umbrella-topped stems I could manage. I have a rosetail betta whose long fins can really get snagged on the usual Java ferns and most stemmed plants; but he can zip through long upright, non-branching stems. I had never actually seen Hydrocotyle verticillata but I loved the idea of discrete stems growing through substrate on a trailing rhizome. I only ordered a few, but once planted, the effect is exactly what I’d hoped for. The plants are settling after just a few days, and I love them.
A
The plants arrived healthy and green. Plenty of stems, more than the 6 promised. It does appear to be grown emersed so will take time to convert to fully submerged growth in a tank.
k
I only got the bunch of these plants 2 days ago, and already there's some new growth that was not there at all when I put it in my tank.
Mostly it was a lot of long stems with a few leaves, mostly small and a few big leaves, with the roots still there. A really good amount of stems for the price, once they grow in, it ought to be very dense.
Happy with the purchase so far.
M
I’ve ordered quite a few plants, and I’ve bought plenty locally. I was fully expecting to receive a decent few bunches, some browning, mild damage, things I get every time I buy. I was absolutely blown away by the big, hearty, gorgeous bunches I received. All the plants I ordered came in flawless, but the pennywort just came so extra lovely. I’m so impressed, that I’ll definitely be buying from here again.
D
Beautiful plant I put throughout the entire scape. Arrived
Healthy. Like always from APF happy happy happy
T
Extremely happy with the plants! Hardy and healthy, great customer service!.
N
The emersed shoots came in very tall but after planting, started sprouting several shorter ones OVERNIGHT! All the leaves look really healthy.
R
Nice quantity, healthy looking, great packadging no damage
T
As described, excellent packing & fast shipping. The plants were very healthy and a LOT bigger than the same species of plants I’ve had in the past from other sources.
E
Love it
C
Great quality, well packaged plants, delivered quickly.
J
Arrived fast and in great shape. Very healthy looking
E
Nicely bunched and in great condition.
R
Super healthy plant up delivery. Not sure where its going permanently, so I just dropped it into my tank as it came with the plant anchor. Day 3 and new growth already!
S
1 month update: Whatever it is, it looks like hydrocotyle verticillata but the stems are about 1/8 inch thick and it grows 1-2inch big leaves that reach the top of my 22 inch deep aquarium. Definitely not the 1-3 inch tall plant I expected. It looks alright though, i guess. Like big dr seus umbrellas. lol
S
"one portion" wound up being like 10 individual rhizome sections with a big old emergent leaf on each.
The rhizomes were easy to plant, and the emergent leaves are not melting---they're pearling! All of the rhizomes have already grown new submerged leaves.
It looks super cool. One of my favorites and growing like a weed within 1 week.
T
Waited a week to see progress. Placed semi-emerged in my overflow, they are really taking off with new leaves from several different nodes
J
Added three of these to my Walstead style tank and they have completely taken off. They arrived in healthy condition with good looking roots and no browning. A couple of smaller stalks melted when first added but it is a new tank so that was to be expected. Literally just after a couple of days several new stalks had grown and so far three leaves have actually grown out of the water which adds a nice aesthetic. Would highly recommend.
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