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Whorled pennywort
Hydrocotyle verticillata
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G5
State (S-rank): S1
External links
Species range
Estimate from download of data from Utah Rare Plant Database on July 18, 2024.
Geocat 1 observations: Extent of Occurrence: 0 km2.
Historic observations over 40 years old were not used.
Moist ground or in water at 850 to 1440 m in Washington Co.; South America north to Massachusetts and Calif. (Welsh et al. 2015).
Threats or limiting factors
The main threat is from habitat loss due to urban expansion and habitat degradation due to grazing, recreation, and drought.
UNPS Accessed 2025: A taxon not included in previous versions of the UNPS Rare Plant list, but its apparent rarity in Utah warrants inclusion. The recent widespread development in Washington County, and the disturbance, re-channeling and potential loss of spring-fed streams, justifies including this taxon in the rare plant list. This plant has been found in clear-running shallow streams and spring outflows in the Mojave Desert region, habitats that are becoming significantly degraded by development, ATV-recreational disturbance, and grazing impacts. This plant has only been collected at BRY 6 times, all from Washington County. Species of small, water-dependent herbs are generally overlooked by botanists. Despite this, the habitat for this species is very limited and population sizes are characteristically small for this taxon in the Mojave Desert, which is the reason for the scores of "1" in this taxon's ranking categories instead of "unknown". It is a high priority to check to see if these populations still exist. Until this has been attempted, it is just an educated guess to say that the trend of this species is downward.
