Bacopa monnieriWater Hyssop

Bacopa monnieri, or Water Hyssop, is a low creeping perennial of wet ground found through the tropics on every continent. It runs across saturated soil and shallow water on fleshy stems that root at every node, forming a bright green mat only a hand's breadth deep and studded with small white to pale mauve flowers.

It is specified for the wet margin, where planting has to hold a bank, cover a mud line and tolerate periodic submersion.

Specifications

• Height0.1 to 0.2 metres
• Width0.5 to 1 metre per plant, spreading to form a continuous mat
• Native toWetlands throughout the tropics and subtropics, including India, Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas
• FoliageSmall, succulent, obovate bright green leaves on creeping stems; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers wet mud, silt or sandy pond margins; grows in saturated soil and shallow standing water
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterHigh; requires permanently moist ground or shallow submersion
• ClimateThrives in tropical and subtropical regions

Additional Features

• FlowersSmall five-petalled white to pale mauve flowers carried through the warm months
• UsesIdeal for pond and lake margins, bog gardens, constructed wetlands, and water-feature edging
• SpacingPlant 0.2 to 0.3 metres apart for cover within a single season
• Low MaintenanceTrim back where it runs beyond its bed; no other routine attention needed
• Pest ResistanceGenerally trouble-free
• Erosion ControlBinds soft wet margins and reduces scour at fluctuating water lines
• Cultural SignificanceLong used in Ayurvedic practice, where it is known as brahmi

Water Hyssop is the plant to reach for where the ground is too wet for anything else to hold.