Small Pennywort - a native (Hydrocotyle callicarpa)

Family: Araliaceae (Star-hair family).

Native.

Occurrence: Common, but readily overlooked because of its small size.

Identification:

• it is a small plant growing to a few centimetres high
• the leaves are green
• the leaves are round but indented to about half way or less
• the flowers clusters are distinctly stalked.

It is similar to Yellow Pennywort. Yellow Pennywort differs in that the leaves are more deeply incised (well over half way), readily turn yellow, and the flower clusters (except for the usually stalked terminal cluster) are not stalked. The two species sometimes grow together.

Photos: Kalimna, Castlemaine.