Bacopa monnieri: Uses (Ethnobotany)
Used in Ayurvedic medicine
Plant Profile: Bacopa monnieri
Taxonomy: Bacopa monnieriNames
Monnier's Water-hyssop, Water Hyssop
Phonetic Spelling:buh-KOH-puh mon-ee-AIR-ee
Genus:Bacopa
Species:monnieri
Family:Plantaginaceae
Monnier's Water-hyssop is a perennial wildflower indigenous to freshwater tidal marshes, riparian zones, streams, pools, and muddy shorelines. While this plant can withstand heat, it does not tolerate drought conditions. It is commonly utilized in hanging baskets and aquariums, and it is occasionally marketed for its medicinal properties.
The plant features small, evergreen succulent leaves and produces delicate white flowers that bloom for an extended period. It thrives in moist to wet soil, making it ideal for growth along streams and ponds or in bog gardens, where it can receive full sun to partial shade.
Bacopa monnieri Feature Summary
Tags
#heat tolerant
#moths
#native perennial
#riparian
#wet sites
#NC native
#ponds
#native wildflower
#wildflower garden
#marshes
#Coastal OBL
#food source herbage
#food source nectar
#Piedmont Mountains OBL
#bird friendly
#butterfly friendly
#streams
#aquariums
#bog gardens
#audubon
Similar Plants
Bacopa monnieri Feature Summary
Attributes
Used in Ayurvedic medicine
Tropical and subtropical Americas
AL , AZ , CA , FL , GA , HI , LA , MD , MS , NC , OK , SC , TX , VA
Host plant to White Peacock Butterfly
Perennial
Stem Cutting
Division
Wildlife Larval Host
Fruit
Fruits are available June-November.
Summer
Fall
Flowers
Flowers bloom April until frost. They are bell-shaped, white with pinkish or blue tinges in color and occur in the axil of the leaves.
Pink
White
Solitary
Showy
Long Bloom Season
Spring
Summer
Fall
4-5 petals/rays
Bell
< 1 inch
Leaves
Small succulent leaves are oval, simple and opposite with entire margins.
Green
Simple
Opposite
Elliptical
Entire
< 1 inch
Glossy
Fleshy
< 1 inch
Whole Plant Traits
Perennial
Native Plant
Creeping
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Moist
Occasionally Wet
Occasional Flooding
Coastal
8b
8a
9a
9b
10a
10b
11a
11b
Sand
Stem
Landscape
Native Garden
Water Garden
Heat
Wet Soil
Container
Hanging Baskets
Coastal
Riparian
Pond
Butterflies
Songbirds
Moths
Bacopa monnieri Image Gallery
Bacopa monnieri Attributes
Bacopa monnieri: Country Or Region Of Origin
Tropical and subtropical Americas
Bacopa monnieri: Distribution
AL , AZ , CA , FL , GA , HI , LA , MD , MS , NC , OK , SC , TX , VA
Bacopa monnieri: Wildlife Value
Host plant to White Peacock Butterfly
Bacopa monnieri: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Bacopa monnieri: Recommended Propagation Strategy
Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting
Bacopa monnieri: Play Value
Attractive Flowers
Attracts Pollinators
Buffer
Colorful
Defines Paths
Easy to Grow
Edible fruit
Fragrance
Pieces Used in Games
Screening
Shade
Sound
Textural
Wildlife Cover/Habitat
Wildlife Food Source
Wildlife Larval Host
Wildlife Nesting
Wind Break
Wind Shimmer
Bacopa monnieri Fruit
Bacopa monnieri: Fruit Description
Fruits are available June-November.
Bacopa monnieri: Display/Harvest Time
Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter
Bacopa monnieri Flowers
Bacopa monnieri: Flower Description
Flowers bloom April until frost. They are bell-shaped, white with pinkish or blue tinges in color and occur in the axil of the leaves.
Bacopa monnieri: Flower Color
Pink
White
Bacopa monnieri: Flower Inflorescence
Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel
Bacopa monnieri: Flower Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy
Bacopa monnieri: Flower Bloom Time
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Bacopa monnieri: Flower Petals
2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals
Bacopa monnieri: Flower Shape
Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel
Bacopa monnieri: Flower Size
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches
Bacopa monnieri Leaves
Bacopa monnieri: Leaf Description
Small succulent leaves are oval, simple and opposite with entire margins.
Bacopa monnieri: Leaf Color
Green
Bacopa monnieri: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Bacopa monnieri: Leaf Arrangement
Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled
Bacopa monnieri: Leaf Shape
Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate
Bacopa monnieri: Leaf Margin
Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate
Bacopa monnieri: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Bacopa monnieri: Leaf Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Bacopa monnieri: Leaf Feel
Fleshy
Glossy
Leathery
Papery
Prickly
Rough
Rubbery
Slippery
Smooth
Soft
Velvety
Waxy
Bacopa monnieri: Leaf Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy
Bacopa monnieri: Leaf Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Bacopa monnieri Whole Plant Traits
Bacopa monnieri: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Bacopa monnieri: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Bacopa monnieri Cultural Conditions
Bacopa monnieri: Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Bacopa monnieri: Soil Drainage
Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry
Bacopa monnieri: NC Region
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Bacopa monnieri: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
10a
10b
11a
11b
8a
8b
9a
9b
Bacopa monnieri: Soil Texture
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Bacopa monnieri Stem
Bacopa monnieri: Stem Color
Green
Bacopa monnieri: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Bacopa monnieri: Stem Surface
Corky Ridges
Covered with a powdery bloom (glaucous)
Dull
Hairy (pubescent)
Polished
Smooth (glabrous)
Bacopa monnieri: Stem Form
Straight
Zig Zags
Bacopa monnieri Landscape
Bacopa monnieri: Landscape Theme
Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden
Bacopa monnieri: Resistance To Challenges
Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind
Bacopa monnieri: Landscape Location
Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland
Bacopa monnieri: Attracts
Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees
