积雪草 ji xue cao

Hydrocotyle asiatica Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 234. 1753; H. lurida Hance.

Petiole 0.5–10(–30) cm; leaf blade orbicular or reniform, 1–4.5 × 1.5–5 cm, palmate veins 5–7, prominent, both surfaces glabrous or abaxially sparsely pubescent on the veins, base broadly cordate, coarsely toothed. Peduncles 2–4, clustered axillary, 0.2–1.5 cm; bracts 2 (rarely 3), ovate, 3–4 × 2.1–3 mm, persistent in fruit; umbels 3–4-flowered, capitate. Flowers sessile or subsessile. Petals white or rose-tinged. Fruit 2.1–3 × 2.2–3.6 mm. Fl. and fr. Apr–Oct.

Shady, wet, grassy places, river margins; 200–1900 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, S Jiangsu, Jiangxi, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [widespread throughout tropical and subtropical countries worldwide, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam].

This species is similar in appearance to, and is sometimes mistaken for, Dichondra micrantha Urban (Convolvulaceae). It is sometimes eaten, and is an important herb (“ji xue cao”) of traditional Chinese medicine.