Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides Variegata - Variegated Marsh Pennywort

Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides 'Variegata', also known as Water Pennywort, is a semi-aquatic perennial plant that forms a creeping carpet, distinguished by its attractive small foliage variegated with white and pink. Its small round leaves, with green-grey margins, float on the water's surface. It can be used submerged in a pond or as a trailing plant in a waterfall. Its summer flowering is discreet and insignificant. It is useful for oxygenating the water and providing refuge for wildlife. It also acts as a purifier, absorbing suspended nutrients.

Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides belongs to the Araliaceae family. It is native to Mauritius and widely distributed in China. It is also found in America, Australia, and India. It grows in Europe (Belgium, Spain, France, Italy). It is found in humid areas, sunny or shaded, on river banks or in riverbeds. It is a thin and creeping perennial herb that forms a dense tuft of crenate, glossy orbicular leaves. They measure 2 to 3 cm (1in) in diameter. With long glabrous petioles at the base, they are covered with fine bristles at the top. With a slight carrot scent, they are edible. The whitish, greenish, or pinkish flowers appear discreetly in July-August. The foliage is semi-evergreen, present down to -5°C (23°F) and therefore evergreen in mild climates. Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides 'Variegata' is a horticultural variety that offers grey-green foliage, margined with white and pink. It is hardy up to zone 8, between -7 and -11°C (19.4 and 12.2°F).