Flora of North America species comparison

The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Bacopa repens

Bacopa monnieri

creeping water-hyssop

brahmi, coastal waterhyssop, herb-of-grace, Indian pennywort
Habit Annuals or perennials. Perennials, sometimes annuals.
Stems

erect, 15–40 cm, hairy, glabrescent.

prostrate, 15–30 cm, glabrous.
Leaves

hairy, glabrescent;

blade base narrowly cuneate, margins entire, apex rounded.

glabrous;

blade fleshy, base narrowly cuneate, margins entire or serrate, apex obtuse, 1-nerved.
Pedicels

1.5–15 mm.

5–30 mm;

bracteoles present.
Flowers

sepals 4(or 5), oblong to lanceolate, calyx bilaterally symmetric;

corolla pink with pink throat or white with white throat, 2–5 mm;

stamens 4, didynamous.

sepals 5, ovate to lanceolate, calyx radially symmetric;

corolla white with yellow throat, 5–10 mm, lobes 5;

stamens 4, didynamous.
2n

= 28.

= 64.

Bacopa repens

Bacopa monnieri
Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering Apr–Sep.
Habitat Muddy sites, pools, rice fields. Wetlands, wet sands, mud flats, riparian areas.
Elevation 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.) 0–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; FL; LA; SC; TX; Central America; West Indies (Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, South America (Colombia), Asia (China)]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AZ; CA; FL; GA; LA; MD; MS; NC; OK; SC; TX; VA; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; s Europe; Asia; Africa; Australia [Introduced in sw Europe (Portugal, Spain), Asia (China, Taiwan)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Bacopa monnieri is thought to be native throughout much of its range, though it is weedy and cultivated. It readily colonizes irrigated fields, especially rice fields, and seeds easily get mixed with rice and are planted in new locations. Bacopa monnieri is introduced in parts of Europe (Portugal, Spain) and Asia (China, Taiwan). It can be propagated vegetatively by cuttings.

Bacopa monnieri is used medicinally in Asia in traditional Indian medicine (Ayurveda). It is edible and contains steroidal saponins, including bacosides, that have beneficial effects on the nervous system. Leaf, stem, and root extracts are used as cardiac and nerve tonics, sedatives, and vasoconstrictors. Leaves and stems are diuretic and used in treating constipation and indigestion. An alcohol extract of the whole plant has been used to treat Walker carcinoma and as a cardiovascular and muscle relaxer. In the United States, recent studies suggest it has potential for enhancing cognitive performance in the elderly and in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (C. Calabres et al. 2008; S. Aguiar and T. Borowski 2013). Extracts are used in the treatment of nerve and brain disorders; they also are believed to enhance intellect and decrease fertility.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 263. FNA vol. 17, p. 261.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Bacopa Plantaginaceae > Bacopa
Sibling taxa
B. caroliniana, B. egensis, B. eisenii, B. innominata, B. monnieri, B. rotundifolia
B. caroliniana, B. egensis, B. eisenii, B. innominata, B. repens, B. rotundifolia
Synonyms Gratiola repens, Macuillamia repens Lysimachia monnieri
Name authority (Swartz) Wettstein: in H. G. A. Engler and K. Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 67[IV,3b]: 76. (1891) (Linnaeus) Wettstein: in H. G. A. Engler and K. Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 67[IV,3b]: 77. (1891) — (as monniera)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



Type/paste one or more Latin names into the boxes above; matching taxa will show up below the box as you type. You can use the up/down arrow keys to move through the list.

(If the plant you're looking for doesn't show up in the auto-complete list, that means it either isn't described in Flora of North America yet, or it's listed under a synonym. And please note that Flora of North America is still missing several plant families, including Apiaceae, Boraginaceae, and Polemoniaceae.)

Choose a data source: Flora of North America

The species comparison tool is brought to you by:
Northwest Wildflowers