Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib profile

Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib is produced in Hunan, Sichuan and Yunnan, China. It grows on river Banks and wet roadside grasslands, with an altitude of 1060-2900 m. Model specimens were collected from Mengzi, Yunnan. The whole herb, Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib, is used as a medicine for analgesia, heat clearing and dampness, treating abdominal pain, adverse urination and eczema.

Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib picture

Morphological characteristics of Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib

Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib is a perennial creeping herb, erect parts 8-37 cm high, with sparse or dense reflexes pilose, white or purple, except for stipules, bracts, and flower stalks glabrous. Sometimes the leaf is dorsal with purple verruciform hairs, stem nodes with soil after easy fibrous roots. The leaf blade is thin, round, nephritic, 2.5-7 cm long and 3-8 cm wide, dark green on surface, light green on abaxially, palmately 5-7 lobed. Lobes are broadly ovate or sub triangular, margin irregularly sharply serrate or obtuse, base cordate. The petiole is 4-23 cm long. Stipules are membranous, ovoid or broadly ovate. Umbel is solitary on nodes, axillary or opposite to leaves, peduncle usually longer than petiole. Umbels are small with flowers 25-50, flower stalks 2-7 mm long;Small involucral bracts membranous, ovate-lanceolate, 1.2-1.8 mm long, apical, margin sometimes slightly lacerate. Flowers are green in bud, white after opening. Floral valvular, 1 -- 1.2 mm long, apically short, with yellowish to purplish-brown glandular spots. The fruit is suborbicular, cordate or truncate at base, bilaterally compressed, 1.3-2 mm long, 1.5-2.1 mm wide, lateral two-ribbed, smooth or wrinkled, yellow or purplish red. Flowering period is from May - November.

Distribution environment of Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib

Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib is found in Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, China. It grows on river Banks and wet roadside grasslands, with an altitude of 1060-2900 m.

Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib growth habit

Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib prefers warm and moist conditions. It is best to be Cultivated  in half sunshine or shade place, and avoid direct sunlight so that cultivation soil is not detained. It is better to cultivate soft and well-drained soil, or to cultivate directly with water. The optimum water temperature is 22-28 degrees. It is shade resistant, moisture resistant, slightly drought resistant. It has a strong adaptable nature, easy to plant, rapid reproduction, amphibious.

Near species differentiation of Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib.

There is a great difference between Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib and Hydrocotyle nepalensis Hk. Namely, this species has a single slender umbel peduncle, flower stalks are also longer.

Medical value of Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib

The whole herb of Hydrocotyle chinensis (Dunn) Craib, is used as a medicine for analgesia, heat clearing and dampness, treating abdominal pain, adverse urination and eczema.