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Taxon:  Centella asiatica (L.) Urb.



Summary
Genus:
Centella
Family:
Apiaceae (alt. Umbelliferae)
Subfamily:
Mackinlayoideae
Nomen number:
9831
Place of publication:
C. F. P. von Martius, Fl. bras. 11(1):287, t. 78. 1879
Verified:
11/06/1985 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
0 (0  active, 0  available) in Australian Pastures Genebank. 
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Hydrocotyle asiatica L.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Hydrocotyle erecta L. f.
No images


Reference(s)
  1. Aldén, B., S. Ryman & M. Hjertson. Våra kulturväxters namn - ursprung och användning. Formas, Stockholm (Handbook on Swedish cultivated and utility plants, their names and origin). 2009
  2. Cheung, Siu-cheong & Ning-hon Li, eds. Chinese medicinal herbs of Hong Kong. 1978-
  3. Chopra, D. & D. Simon. The Chopra Center herbal handbook: forty natural prescriptions for perfect health. 2000
  4. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. African flowering plants database (on-line resource).
  5. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. 1980-
  6. Duke, J. A. et al. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. 2002
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  14. Grellin, J. K. & J. Philpott. A reference guide to medicinal plants. 1990
  15. Hanelt, P., ed. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6. 2001 3:1259.
  16. Hara, H. et al. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal. 1978-1982
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  19. Hokche, O. et al. Nuevo catálogo de la flora vascular de Venezola. 2008
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  21. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. 2008
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  23. Janick, J. & J. Simon, eds. Advances in new crops. 1990
  24. Kala, C. P. et al. 2004. Prioritization of medicinal plants on the basis of available knowledge, existing practices and use value status in Uttaranchal, India. Biodivers. & Conservation 13:459.
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  39. Peiris, K. H. S. & S. J. Kays. 1996. Asiatic Pennywort (Centella asiatica (L) Urb.): A little-known vegetable crop. HortTechnol. 6:13-18.
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Common names
English
Asiatic pennywort –
gotu kola –
Indian pennywort –
marsh pennywort –
pennyweed –
sheeprot –
thankuni –
French
écuelle d'eau –
German
asiatisches Sumpfpfennigkraut –
Japanese Rōmaji
tsubo-kusa –
Spanish
hierba de clavo –
sombrerito –
Swedish
sallatsspikblad –
Transcribed Chinese
ji xue cao –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMalawi  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMozambique  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZambia  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaBotswana  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaLesotho  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaNamibia  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth Africa  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSwaziland  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaCote D'Ivoire  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGuinea-Bissau  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaLiberia  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaMali  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNigeria  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSenegal  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSierra Leone  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaEquatorial Guinea  
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaAnhui 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaFujian 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaGuangdong 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaGuangxi 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHubei 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHunan 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaJiangsu 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaJiangxi 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaShaanxi 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaSichuan 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaYunnan 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaZhejiang 
1NativeAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaJapan  
1NativeAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaKorea  
1NativeAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaTaiwan  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentBhutan  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentNepal  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentPakistan  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentSri Lanka  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaLaos  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaMyanmar  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaThailand  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaVietnam  
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesia  
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaMalaysia  
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaPhilippines  
1NativeAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaNew South Wales 
1NativeAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaQueensland 
1NativePacificNorthwestern PacificMicronesia  
1NativePacificNorthwestern PacificNorthern Mariana Islands  
1NativePacificNorthwestern PacificPalau  
1NativePacificSouthwestern PacificSolomon Islands  
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazil  
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuela  
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentina  
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaChile  
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaParaguay  
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaUruguay  
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia  
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaCambodia  
4NaturalizedAfricaWestern Indian OceanMadagascar  
4NaturalizedAfricaWestern Indian OceanSeychelles  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateCaucasusArmenia  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateCaucasusAzerbaijan  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateCaucasusGeorgia  
4NaturalizedEuropeNorthern EuropeNorway  
4NaturalizedPacificNorth-Central PacificUnited StatesHawaii 
4NaturalizedPacificSouth-Central PacificFrench Polynesia  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaEcuadorGalapagos Islands 
Native
Africa
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Cote D'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea
Asia-Temperate
  • CHINA: China [Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang]
  • EASTERN ASIA: Korea, Japan, Taiwan
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan
  • INDO-CHINA: Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
  • MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia [New South Wales, Queensland]
Pacific
  • NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau
  • SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Solomon Islands
Southern America
  • BRAZIL: Brazil
  • NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Venezuela
  • SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay
Cultivated
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India
  • INDO-CHINA: Cambodia
Naturalized
Africa
  • WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Madagascar, Seychelles
Asia-Temperate
  • CAUCASUS: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
Europe
  • NORTHERN EUROPE: Norway
Pacific
  • NORTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: United States [Hawaii]
  • SOUTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: French Polynesia
Southern America
  • WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Ecuador [Galapagos Islands]
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Human foodvegetable Peiris, K. H. S. & S. J. Kays. 1996. Asiatic Pennywort (Centella asiatica (L) Urb.): A little-known vegetable crop. HortTechnol. 6:13-18.
Medicinessource of asiaticoside Farnsworth, N. R. & D. D. Soejarto. Global importance of medicinal plants (unpublished draft manuscript rev. 23, 1988)
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://apg.pir.sa.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=9831. Accessed 3 August 2025.


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