Hydrocotyle bonariensis Lam., Araliaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: kurnell curse, large-leaved pennywort, pennywort

French: herbe bol, herbe tam-tam

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Plants glabrous, arising from tuberous roots, the stems slender, creeping; leaves on long slender petioles, peltate, orbicular or nearly so, 1.5-5 cm in diameter, very shallowly crenate-lobulate; peduncles longer than the leaves, bearing one or more umbels, these proliferous, many-flowered, the flowers white or yellow; pedicels 2-20 mm long, spreading and often reflexed; fruit transverse-ovate, 1-2 mm long, 2-4 mm broad, with distinct acute ribs; stylopodium depressed" (Lundell, 1966; pp. 49-50).

Habitat/ecology:  Mesic sites; will stand prolonged immersion in fresh water.  "H. bonariensis has the potential to increase in abundance on coastal sand dunes and on the sandy soils on cliff faces, coastal riiparian systems (subsaline wetlands) and lawns" (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 167).

Propagation:  Seed, rooting from nodes (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 167).

Native range:  Southeastern US, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, South America (Lundell, 1966; pp. 49-50).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 167)
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	introduced	Pickard, J. (1984) (p. 205)
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 18) Vouchers cited: A.N. Rodd 1482 (K, NSW), P.S. Green 1919 (A, K), J.D. McComish 54 (K, NSW)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 167)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island	cultivated	Topp, J. M. W. (1988) (p. 8)
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Whistler, W. Arthur (1996) (pp. 25, 32)
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 167)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Hydrocotyle bonariensis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Hydrocotyle bonariensis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Hydrocotyle bonariensis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. 1998. Potential environmental weeds in Australia: Candidate species for preventative control. Canberra, Australia. Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia. 208 pp.

McIntyre, Guy. 1991. Weeds of sugar cane in Mauritius, their description and control. Mauritius Sugar Industry Reseach Institute. 151 pp.

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1994. Flora of Australia. Vol. 49, Oceanic islands 1. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Pickard, J. 1984. Exotic plants on Lord Howe Island: Distribution in space and time, 1853-1981. J. of Biogeography 11:181-208.

Standley, Paul C./Williams, Louis O./Lundell, Cyrus Longworth. 1966. Flora of Guatemala. Fieldiana: Botany. Vol. 24, Part VIII, Nos. 1-2. Chicago Natural History Museum. 210 pp.

Topp, J. M. W. 1988. An annotated check list of the flora of Diego Garcia, British Ocean Territory. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 313. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 21 pp.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Whistler, W. Arthur. 1996. Botanical survey of Diego Garcia, Chagos Archipelago, British Indian Ocean Territory. Isle Botanica. 49 pp.