Centella asiatica

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Genus Centella

Herbs perennial . Stem slender and creeping , diffuse , nodes rooting . Leaves petiolate , forming rosettes along the creeping stem; petioles sheathing at base ; blade simple , entire or shallowly dentate , palmately veined. Inflorescence simple; umbels loose to subcapitate , few-flowered; peduncles axillary , usually very short; bracts 2, membranous; pedicels slender to obsolete . Calyx teeth obsolete. Petals valvate , orbicular with a narrow inflexed apex. Stylopodium obsolete; styles short, equaling filaments . Fruit reniform or globose , base cordate to truncate , strongly laterally compressed ; commissure narrow, constricted ; primary and secondary ribs prominent , 7 9 per mericarp, filiform , reticulate nerves evident in between; oil-bearing layer beneath the epidermis present, occasionally containing small oil tubes (cf. vittae) ; endocarp woody. Seed narrowly oblong in cross section , face plane . Carpophore present, entire.

Twenty species: predominately in S Africa and tropical and subtropical regions; one species in China.[1]

Physical Description

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 4,701 meters (0 to 15,423 feet).[2]

Biology

Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 9-12" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 5.1 • Maximum pH: 9.0

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 9b. (map)

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Hydrocotyle asiatica L. • Hydrocotyle erecta Linnaeus F.

Notes

Basionym : Apiaceae Hydrocotyle asiatica L.

Basionym author: (L.)

Similar Species

Members of the genus Centella

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 3 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

C. asiatica (Asian Coinleaf) · C. cordifolia (Centella) · C. erecta (Coinleaf)

More Info

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• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• A bibliographic enumeration of Bornean plants, by E. D. Merrill. Singapore, Printed by Fraser & Neave, ltd., 1921 url p. 458, p. 458.
• A botanical survey of the Galapagos Islands, by Alban Stewart. San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences, 1911. url p. 120.
• A contribution to the phytogeography and flora of the Arfak mountains /by L.S. Gibbs. 1917 London: Taylor and Francis, 1917. url p. 164, p. 37.
• A hand-book to the flora of Ceylon: containing descriptions of all the species of flowering plants indigenous to the island, and notes on their history, distribution, and uses: with an atlas of plates illustrating some of the more inte by Henry Trimen. London: Dulau, 1893-1931. url p. 137.
• A manual of poisonous plants, chiefly of eastern North America, with brief notes on economic and medicinal plants, and numerous illustrations, Cedar Rapids, Ia., The Torch Press, 1911. url .
• A manual of poisonous plants: chiefly of eastern North America, with brief notes on economic and medicinal plants, and numerous illustrations / by L. H. Pammel. 1911 Cedar Rapids, Ia.: The Torch Press, 1910-11. url p. 648, p. 930.
• A survey of natural areas in Brunswick County, North Carolina: for The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Coastal Natural Area Inventory Project / Raleigh: North Carolina Coastal Energy Impact Program, Office of Coastal Management, North Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources and Community Development, [1982?] url , , , , , , , , , .
• A survey of natural areas in Tyrrell County, North Carolina: for The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Coastal Natural Area Inventory Project / Raleigh: North Carolina Coastal Energy Impact Program, Office of Coastal Management, North Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources and Community Development, [1982?] url p. 47, p. 9.
• An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, Manila, Bureau of Printing, 1922-26. url p. 238.
• An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British possessions: from Newfoundland to the parallel of the southern boundary of Virginia and from the Atlantic Ocean westward to the 102nd meridian / by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Hon. Addison Brown. New York: Scribner, 1913. url , p. 651.
• Annales du Jardin botanique de Buitenzorg. 31 1921 Leiden [etc.]: E. J. Brill [etc.] url p. 130, p. 137, p. 189.
• Aquatic and wetland plants of southwestern United States, by Donovan S. Correll and Helen B. Correll. [Washington]Environmental Protection Agency; [For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off.]1972. url p. 1215, p. 1219.
• Bartonia;proceedings of the Philadelphia botanical club. .. 47 - 51 1980 - 19 Philadelphia, Philadelphia Botanical Club, Academy of Natural Sciences. url p. 29.
• Botanical publications of E.D. Merrill. [New York, etc., 1899- url , , p. 458.
• Britton, N. L. (ed.). North American flora. [New York]New York Botanical Garden. url p. 347, p. 59.
• Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). London: The Museum, 1951-1992. url p. 369.
• Bulletin of the Natural History Museum. London: The Natural History Museum, c1993-2002. url p. 32.
• Bulletin of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. [Washington, D.C.?]: Supt. of Docs., G.P.O., 1913-1923. url p. 22, p. 55.
• Check-list of the species of fishes known from the Philippine Archipelago, Manila, Bureau of printing, 1910. url p. 411, p. 537.
• Compositae newsletter. Columbus, Ohio: Dept. of Botany, Ohio State University, 1975- url p. 11.
• Construction and stabilization of coastal foredunes with vegetation, Padre Island, Texas / Bill E. Dahl. .. [et al.]. Fort Belvoir, Va.: Coastal Engineering Research Center, U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, 1975. url p. 37, p. 39.
• Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 30 1957 Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1890- url p. 109, p. 112, p. 131, p. 145, p. 20, p. 221, p. 225, p. 265, p. 274, p. 29, p. 296, p. 30, p. 313, p. 347, p. 378, p. 389, p. 434, p. 437, p. 507, p. 535, p. 557, p. 650.
• Contributions to the flora of Venezuela / Julian A. Steyermark and collaborators. 28 1957 Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Natural History Museum, 1957. url p. 1045, p. 1196.
• Dutch N. W. New Guinea. A contribution to the phytogeography and flora of the Arfak mountains, & c. By L. S. Gibbs. London: Taylor and Francis, 1917. url p. 37.
• FWS/0BS. [Washington]Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior. url p. 205.
• Flora Malesiana. general editor, C.G.G.J. van Steenis. Djakarta: Noordhoff-Kolff, 1950- url p. 113, p. 116, p. 117, p. 444.
• Flora Vitiensis nova: a new Flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only) / Albert C. Smith. Lawaii, Hawaii: Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, 1979- url p. 655.
• Flora of Bermuda. .. by Nathaniel Lord Britton. .. New York, C. Scribner's sons, 1918. url p. 273.
• Flora of Bermuda... by Nathaniel Lord Britton... New York, Scribner, 1918. url p. 273.
• Flora of Guatemala / Paul C. Standley and Louis O. Williams. 24 1966 Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Natural History Museum, 1966. url p. 34, p. vii.
• Flora of Jamaica, containing descriptions of the flowering plants known from the island, by William Fawcett and Alfred Barton Rendle. London.Printed by order of the Trustees of the British Museum, 1910- url p. 425.
• Flora of Japan: in English: combined, much revised and extended translation / by the author of his Flora of Japan (1953) and Flora of Japan, Pteridophyta (1957); edited by Frederick G. Meyer and Egbert H. Walker. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1965. url p. 669.
• Flora of the Galpagos Islands; papers from the Hopkins-Stanford Expedition to the Galapagos Islands, by B. L. Robinson, with the collaboration of specialists. Boston, Mass., 1902 url p. 232.
• Flora of the Presidency of Madras / by J.S. Gamble. London: West, Newman and Adlard, 1915- url p. 556.
• Gray's new manual of botany (7th ed.--illustrated) A handbook of the flowering plants and ferns of the central and northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, Cincinnati [etc.]American book company[c1908] url p. 611.
• Gray's new manual of botany, a handbook of the flowering plants and ferns of the central and northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, rearranged and extensively revised by Benjamin Lincoln Robinson. .. and Merritt Lyndon Fernald. .. New York, Cincinnati [etc.]American Book Co.[c1908] url p. 611, p. 611.
• Grazing effects on herbage composition and nutrient distribution on a Florida range flatwoods / by Burton J. Smith. 1978. url p. 22, p. 67, p. 70, p. 73.
• Journal of Indian botany. Madras: Methodist Pub. House, 1919-1923. url p. 214.
• Journal of ethnobiology. 3-5 1983-1985 Flagstaff, Ariz.: Center for Western Studies, 1981- url p. 101, p. 102, p. 103, p. 104, p. 107, p. 109, p. 168, p. 170, p. 229, p. 3.
• Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society. Chapel Hill, N.C. [etc.]Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society [etc.] url .
• Madagascar: an environmental profile IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre url p. 356, p. 369.
• Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club. 12 1902-1907 Durham, N.C.: Published for the Club by the Seeman Printery, 1889- url p. 55.
• Minor products of Philippine forests, Manila, Bureau of Printing, 1920-1921. url , , , , .
• Monograph of the North American Umbelliferae by John M. Coulter and J.N. Rose. Washington: G.P.O., 1900. url .
• Natural area inventory of Hyde County, North Carolina / [Raleigh]: North Carolina Coastal Energy Impact Program, Office of Coastal Management, North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, 1982. url p. 150, p. 202.
• Natural area inventory of Pender County, North Carolina / Raleigh: North Carolina Coastal Energy Impact Program, Office of Coastal Management, North Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources and Community Development, [1982?] url p. 114, p. 127, p. 142, p. 154, p. 17, p. 39, p. 57, p. 81, p. 86.
• Natural areas inventory of Carteret County, North Carolina: for the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Coastal Natural Area Inventory Project / [Raleigh]: N.C. Coastal Energy Impact Program, Office of Coastal Management, N.C. Dept. of Natural Resources and Community Development, [1983]. url p. 140, p. 17, p. 199, p. 234, p. 90.
• New manual of botany. A handbook of the flowering plants and ferns of the central and northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, rearr. and extensively rev. by Benjamin Lincoln Robinson and Merritt Lyndon Fernald. New YorkAmerican Book Co.[c1908] url p. 611.
• Observations on the flora of Japan. Tokyo, 1901-1914. url p. 93.
• Phytologia memoirs. Plainfield, N.J.: H.N. Moldenke and A.L. Moldenke, 1980- url p. 222.
• Phytologia. Bronx Park, New York, H.A. Gleason and H.N. Moldenke, url p. 121, p. 154, p. 189, p. 218, p. 233, p. 251, p. 35, p. 39, p. 40, p. 54, p. 59.
• Plant covering of Ocracoke Island; a study in the ecology of the North Carolina strand vegetation. By Thomas H. Kearney, jr. Washington, Gov't Print. Off., 1900. url p. 274, p. 313.
• Plant life of Alabama. An account of the distribution, modes of association, and adaptations of the flora of Alabama, together with a systematic catalogue of the plants growing in the state. Prepared in cooperationwith the Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1901. url .
• Plant life of Alabama: an account of the distribution, modes of association, and adaptations of the flora of Alabama, together with a systematic catalogue of the plants growing in the state / by Charles Mohr. Montgomery, Ala.: Brown Printing Co., 1901. url p. 650.
• Proceedings - California Academy of Sciences, 4th series. San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences. url p. 120.
• Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Boston: Metcalf and Co., 1846-1958 url p. 184, p. 232, p. 232.
• Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 4th series. San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences. url p. 120.
• Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. Sydney, Linnean Society of New South Wales. url p. 129, p. 130, p. 42.
• The Bahama flora, New York, The Authors, 1920. url .
• The Bahama flora, by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Charles Frederick Millspaugh. New York, The authors, 1920. url p. 312, p. 312, p. 313, p. 313, p. 313.
• The Journal of the Board of Commissioners of Agriculture. San Juan: [Board of Commissioners of Agriculture, 1917]. url p. 202, p. 228.
• The Journal of the College of Science, Imperial University of Tokyo, Japan = Tokyo Teikoku Daigaku kiyo. Rika. Tokyo, Japan: The University, 1898-1925. url p. 16, p. 532.
• The Journal of the Linnean Society. Botany. 36 1903-05 London: the Society: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts & Green: ||Williams and Norgate, 1865-1968. url p. 464.
• The Natural history of Juan Fernandez and Easter Island / edited by Carl Skottsberg. Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksells Boktryckeri, 1920-1956. url .
• The Philippine journal of science. 1 Suppl. 1906 Manila. url p. 110, p. 126, p. 187, p. 192, p. 424, p. 448, p. 548, p. 84.
• The forests and flora of British Honduras / by Paul C. Standley and Samuel J. Record; in cooperation with the Conservator of Forests and the Agricultural Officer of the Colony. 12 1936 Chicago: [Field Museum of Natural History], 1936. url p. 302.
• The plant life of Maryland, by Forrest Shreve [et al.] Baltimore, Johns Hopkins Press, 1910. url p. 464, p. 80.
• The useful plants of the island of Guam; with an introductory account of the physical features and natural history of the island, of the character and history of its people, and of their agriculture / by William Edwin Safford. Washington, D.C.: Govt. Print. Off., 1905. url , , p. 185, p. 221, p. 222, p. 295, p. 296, p. 348, p. 389, p. 401, p. 57.
• The vegetation of Shackleford Bank / by I.F. Lewis. Raleigh: Edwards & Broughton, 1917. url .
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• [Pamphlets on agriculture in Guam] S.l.: s.n., 1905-1916 url p. 15, p. 221, p. 295, p. 296, p. 348, p. 389.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 15, 2007:

• Australian National Herbarium
• , Australian National Herbarium
• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
• Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad, Herbario del Instituto de Ecología, A.C., México
• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Virtual Herbarium Darwin Core format
• GBIF-Spain, Real Jardin Botanico
• , Vascular Plant Herbarium
• Herbarium of the University of Aarhus, The AAU Herbarium Database
• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• National Herbarium of New South Wales, NSW herbarium collection
• National Herbarium of New South Wales, Plants of Papua New Guinea
• National Institute of Genetics, ROIS, Herbarium Specimens of Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo Pref., Japan
• Taiwan Biodiversity Information Facility, Magnoliophyta
• USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
• University of Alabama Biodiversity and Systematics, Herbarium

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 1
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-29612
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13749327
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:57447-3
• GRIN Nomen Number: 9831
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 29612
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 1197718-
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDAPI0J010
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: CEAS
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 27388

Footnotes

1. She Menglan (Sheh Meng-lan), Mark F. Watson "Centella". in Flora of China Vol. 14 Page 18. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. Mean = 318.270 meters (1,044.193 feet), Standard Deviation = 595.980 based on 34,200 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

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