Common name
English: Indian pennywort
German: Indischer Wassernabel
Mandarin: 积雪草 (ji xue cao)
English: Indian pennywort
German: Indischer Wassernabel
Mandarin: 积雪草 (ji xue cao)
Kingdom: Plantae (2635)
Phylum: Tracheophyta (2573)
Class: Magnoliopsida (2146)
Order: Apiales (37)
Family: Apiaceae (27)(family description)
Genus: Centella (1)
Epithet: asiatica (L.) Urban (3)
Synonyms: Centella asiatica (J.M.Coult. & Rose) J.M.Coult. & Rose, Centella boninensis Nakai, Centella bupleurifolia (A.Rich.) Adamson, Centella repanda Small, Centella ulugurensis (Engl.) Domin, Chondrocarpus asiaticus (L.) Nutt., Chondrocarpus erectus S.Watson, Glyceria asiatica (L.) Nutt., Hydrocotyle abyssinica Gand., Hydrocotyle artensis Montrouz., Hydrocotyle asiatica L., Hydrocotyle brasiliensis Scheidw. ex Otto & F.Dietr., Hydrocotyle brevipedata St.-Lag., Hydrocotyle cordifolia Hook.fil., Hydrocotyle dentata A.Rich., Hydrocotyle erecta Linnaeus F., Hydrocotyle ficarifolia Stokes, Hydrocotyle ficarioides Lam., Hydrocotyle hebecarpa DC., Hydrocotyle inaequipes DC., Hydrocotyle indivisa Banks & Sol., Hydrocotyle leptostachys Spreng., Hydrocotyle lunata Lam., Hydrocotyle lurida Hance, Hydrocotyle natans Thunb., Hydrocotyle nummularioides A.Rich., Hydrocotyle pallida DC., Hydrocotyle rotundifolia Wall., Hydrocotyle sarmentosa Salisb., Hydrocotyle sylvicola Cordem., Hydrocotyle thunbergiana Spreng., Hydrocotyle ulugurensis Engl., Hydrocotyle wightiana Wall., Trisanthus cochinchinensis Lour.
abyssinica => from Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
asiatica => of Asiatic origin
asiaticus => of Asiatic origin
brasiliensis => of Brazilian origin
cochinchinensis => from Cochinchina (old name for various southern regions of Vietnam)
cordifolia => with heart-shaped leaves
dentata => toothed like saw teeth
erecta => upright, perpendicular
erectus => upright, perpendicular
indivisa => not divided
natans => swimming, floating on water
pallida => somewhat pallid, greenish
repanda => with slightly uneven, undulating margin
rotundifolia => referring to the rounded leaves
Climate: tropical
Habit: herb
Check for Centella asiatica at
World Flora Online, GBIF or IPNI