Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 July 2026 | 18(7): 29345–29349
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10451.18.7.29345-29349
#10451 | Received 16 February 2026 | Final received 07 June 2026| Finally
accepted 16 June 2026
New distribution record of Hydrocotyle
bonariensis Lam. (Magnoliopsida:
Apiales: Araliaceae) from
India
Balasiewdor Kharsyntiew
1 , H.T. Lalmuankima 2 , Vijay 3 , Poonam Sharma 4 & Rambir Singh 5
1,2,5 Department of Horticulture, Aromatic and Medicinal
Plants, Mizoram University, Aizawl, Mizoram 796004, India.
3 Botanical Survey of India, Eastern Regional Center, Shillong, Meghalaya
793003, India.
4 Department of Zoology, Indira Gandhi National Tribal
University, Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh 484886, India.
1 balakharsyntiew4@gmail.com, 2 htmuankima@mzu.edu.in,
3 multaniavijay@gmail.com, 4 pnm245@yahoo.com,
5 rambirsingh@mzu.edu.in (corresponding
author)
Editor: Afroz Alam, Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan, India. Date
of publication: 26 July 2026 (online & print)
Citation: Kharsyntiew, B., H.T. Lalmuankima,
Vijay, P. Sharma & R. Singh (2026). New distribution record of Hydrocotyle bonariensis Lam.
(Magnoliopsida: Apiales: Araliaceae) from India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 18(7): 29345–29349. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10451.18.7.29345-29349
Copyright: © Kharsyntiew et al. 2026. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use,
reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing
adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: We are thankful to the director, Botanical Survey of India, and the head of office,
BSI-ERC, Shillong, for encouragement and support. We would also like to thank Dr. R. Kottaimutthu, scientist ‘C’ and Rikertre Lytan, scientific staff, BSI-ERC, Shillong, for their keen interest and discussions during this study.
Abstract: A floristic survey conducted in
July 2024 in Aizawl district of Mizoram, led to the collection of unidentified
species of Hydrocotyle. Detailed morphological
examination, comparison with taxonomic literature and consultation of herbarium
specimens confirmed its identity as Hydrocotyle
bonariensis Lam. This is first specimen based,
taxonomically confirmed record of H. bonariensis from
India. This species is a perennial prostate herb widely distributed throughout
the tropical and sub-tropical regions. It is well adapted to sandy, moist
habitats including coastal dunes, estuaries, and ponds. Herbarium specimens
were prepared following standard taxonomic procedures and submitted at the
Botanical Survey of India, Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong.
Morphological characters, habitat and specimen details are provided to
facilitate accurate identification. This discovery highlights the floristic
richness of northeast India and reinforces the importance of systematic
botanical surveys in underexplored habitats.
Keywords: Aizawl, botanical
exploration, conservation, habitat, Hydrocotyle
bonariensis, Mizoram, protologue, taxonomy.
The genus Hydrocotyle,
commonly known as pennywort, belongs to the family Araliaceae
and was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum (1753). The
name ‘Hydrocotyle’ is derived from the Greek
words ‘hydro’ meaning ‘water’ and ‘kotyle’, meaning
‘dish or plate’, referring to the species’ aquatic habitat and dish-shaped leaf
(Bandara et al. 2011).
Hydrocotyle is a widespread genus
characterized by a rhizomatous perennial creeping growth form with many species
occurring in aquatic or moist terrestrial habitats. Currently, the genus
comprised of 182 accepted species globally and is widely distributed in Africa,
America, Australia, southeastern Asia and some parts
of the European Continent (IPNI 2026; POWO 2026). The taxonomic treatment of Hydrocotyle in India has undergone several revisions
over time. C.B. Clarke (1879) recognized six taxa from India, namely Hydrocotyle javanica
Thunb., H. javanica
var. podantha Molkenboer,
H. burmanica Kurz, H.
conferta Wight, H. rotundifolia
Roxb., and H. asiatica
L. Subsequently, Karthikeyan et al. (2009) reported eight species occurring in
India: Hydrocotyle conferta
Wight, H. hookeri (C.B. Clarke) Craib, H. javanica Thunb., H. nepalensis
Hook., H. podantha Molk.,
H. ramiflora Maxim., H. siamica
Craib, and H. sibthorpioides
Lam. Mukherjee et al. (2020) recognized nine species, namely Hydrocotyle conferta
Wight, H. himalaica P.K. Mukh.,
H. hookeri (C.B. Clarke) Craib,
H. javanica Thunb., H.
kollimalayensis S. Karup.
& A. Ali, H. ramiflora Maxim., H. siamica Craib, H. sibthorpioides Lam., and H. verticillata
Thunb. H. sibthorpioides
has maximum 10 cm high, simple and peltate leaves, umbels inflorescence, flat
fruit which breaks into two halves during maturity, faint yellow flower with a
purple hinge (Hazarika et al. 2021). H.
kollimalayensis has simple and pale green leaves,
slender petiole with 2-4 cm long, simple umbel inflorescence, ellipsoid fruit
and sub-sessile or very shortly pedicillate flower (Karuppusamy et al. 2014). H. verticillata
has 3.6 -7 cm length per stolon, simple alternate leaves, smooth green petiole
with 8 -14.5 cm, axillary inflorescence with 5.3 - 19 cm long, sub orbicular
fruit and small, white, bracteate flowers (Roy & Roy 2024). H. bonariensis is a semiaquatic
perennial herb with long stolons (runners), from
which roots, leaves and inflorescences are produced at nodes The species
name bonariensis was
derived from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the plant is native and was first
identified (Mazumdar et al. 2023). This species typically grows in sandy,
moist habitats such as coastal dunes, estuaries, disturbed foreshore sites,
ponds and even environments with periodic flooding.
A number of species of this genus are traditionally
valued for wound-healing, improving blood circulation, and have effects on
lowering blood pressure, tumour reduction and management of depression (Goh
2007). Hydrocotyle species contain
oleanane-type triterpenes (Barrigenol derivatives)
which are recognized for antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory
properties (Maulidiani et al. 2014). They are
utilized as anti-inflammatory herbs in Taiwanese traditional medicine (Hamdy et al. 2018).
A floristic survey conducted in Tanhril,
Aizawl District, Mizoram, in July 2024, one of the authors (Balasiewdor
Kharsyntiew) collected an unidentified Hydrocotyle specimen. Detailed examination of the
specimen, comparison with relevant taxonomic literature (Clarke 1879; Kanjilal et al. 1938; Mukherjee & Constanne,
1993; Singh 2002; Karthikeyan et al. 2009; Mukherjee et al. 2020) and herbarium
consultation physically and digitally at ASSAM, CAL and KEW confirmed its
identity as Hydrocotyle bonariensis
Lam., representing the first specimen-based record of the species from India.
Although data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) indicate
16 records of H. bonariensis from six
localities in southern part of India. However, all of these records are based
solely on human observations with no specimen-based records are available in
GBIF. Mazumdar et al. (2023) mentioned occurrence of H. bonariensis
in Asian countries China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia including India,
but this review does not provide any reference of published records to verify
the presence of this species in India.
Materials and Methods
The plants were collected from Tanhril,
Aizawl District of Mizoram, 23.745o N and 92.668o E. A herbarium
was prepared and submitted to Botanical Survey of India, Eastern Regional
Centre, Shillong (ASSAM). The fresh flowers were also
submitted as per proper identification. The flowers were dissected, and
detailed morphological study as taxonomic measurements and descriptions of each
plant part of the living plant materials was carried out using a
stereomicroscope, Magnus MSZ-TR 16G1101. To confirm its distribution, relevant
publications and floras were critically studied and compared with related taxonomic
literature (Clarke 1879; Kanjilal et al. 1938;
Mukherjee & Constanne 1993; Singh, 2002;
Karthikeyan et al. 2009; Mukherjee et al. 2020). Further examination of
the protologue and a search for type material were conducted in various
herbaria, including herbarium specimens housed at the Botanical Survey of
India, Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong (ASSAM), and
the Central National Herbarium, Howrah (CAL). Collection, pressing and
preparation of herbarium voucher specimens were done in accordance with conventional
herbarium techniques (Jain & Rao 1976). A voucher specimen of the plant was
deposited in the Herbarium of the Botanical Survey of India, Eastern Regional
Centre, Shillong (ASSAM).
Taxonomic Treatments
Hydrocotyle bonariensis Lam., Encycl.
3(1): 153. 1789.
Synonyms: Hydrocotyle
petiolaris DC. in Prodr.
4: 60. 1830.
Herb, 15–40 cm high, creeping, with slender stems, glabrous, rooting at the nodes; stolons
pinkish white, cylindrical. Leaves simple, peltate (very rarely with a deep
narrow sinus extending to the petiole); petiole 13–21 cm long, terete, glabrous; lamina 2.5–2.8 × 2.5–4.2 cm orbicular, margin
often shallowly lobed, the lobes with small secondary crenulations, or
sometimes semi-serrate, glabrous beneath, with 12–20
veins radiating from the petiole. Inflorescence arises from stolons,
compound umbel; umbel rays 5–7; peduncle up to 32 cm long; flowers bisexual, up
to 38 per umbel, white in colour; pedicels 1–20 mm long, slender. Tepals 5,
ovate, white; bract ovate, white, papery. Anthers 5 in number; style 2, c. 1 mm
long. Fruit laterally flattened.
Flowering & fruiting: May–August
Specimen examined: MZU/HAMP/24/05, 23.745o N
92.668o E, 782 m altitude, Aizawl District, Tanhril,
Mizoram, India, coll. Balasiewdor Kharsyntiew.
Distribution: China, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia,
Malaysia, southeastern part of the United States,
central America, South America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa.
Conclusion
This study reports the first record of Hydrocotyle bonariensis Lam. from
India, enriching the country’s floristic diversity database and listing the
distribution of this species in a new geographical region. The finding
highlights the importance of continued botanical exploration and taxonomic
research, particularly in the under-explored ecosystems of northeast India,
where substantial plant diversity remains inadequately documented. It also
demonstrates that systematic field surveys in biodiversity-rich regions
continue to reveal unrecorded taxa. Continued floristic documentation is
therefore essential for monitoring biodiversity, guiding sustainable ecosystem
management, and informing conservation initiatives in the face of increasing
anthropogenic and climate-driven environmental changes.
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