Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides (Lawn marsh pennywort)

Lawn marshpennywort is native to tropical and subtropical southeastern Asia, though it is gradually naturalizing in North America.

Plants: These low-growing plants are less than 4″ (10 cm) high, creeping to form mats up to 12″ (30 cm) around.

Leaves: Alternate, from ⅛–¾″ (5–20 mm) in size. They are peltate—the stem connects to the bottom of the leaf, not one end, as is usual. Leaves are rounded or kidney-shaped, with crenate (scalloped) edges.

Flowers: Roundish umbels have 3-10 star-shaped flowers with greenish-white petals. Each flower is about ⅛″ (5 mm) in size.

Fruits: Flat, elliptical to round fruits about 1/32″ (1 mm) in size break open into halves, each with one seed.

Habitats: Shady places in lowlands, and stream banks or forests in wet grassy places; at elevations of 1312–9843′ (400–3000 m)

9/20/2013 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm)

7/14/2013 · Ball Hill Trail, Leominster State Forest, Leominster, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (16 × 23 cm)

7/14/2013 · Ball Hill Trail, Leominster State Forest, Leominster, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 9″ (18 × 21 cm)

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Apiales	Includes carrots, celery, parsley, and ivy
Family	Araliaceae	Ivy family
Genus	Hydrocotyle	From the Greek hydor, “water,” and kotyle, “a small cup”
Species	sibthorpioides	Resembling the genus Sibthorpia, which was named for Humphrey Sibthorp (1713-1797), a professor of botany at Oxford University where he only gave one lecture in thirty-seven years

About plant names...