Japanese name: チドメグサ（血止草） Scientific name:Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides
[Overview]
An evergreen perennial growing in gardens, roadsides and the like.
The stem branches, creeps along the ground, and spreads by producing roots from the nodes.
The leaves are alternate, rounded-heart-shaped, 0.5–1.2 cm in diameter, shallowly palmately lobed, with the lobes cut to about 1/3–1/4 of the leaf radius, and the lobe margins have blunt serrations.
Both sides of the leaf are hairless, as is the petiole, though rarely there are bristly hairs on the veins of the underside.
The petiole is long.
One short umbel emerges from a leaf axil, bearing 5 to 10-odd flowers.
During flowering the flower stalk is shorter than the petiole, so the flowers bloom lower than the leaves.
The flowers are very small, white, star-shaped 5-petaled flowers with 5 stamens and 2 styles.
The fruit is a schizocarp with the styles remaining.
In fruit, the fruit stalk lengthens to 1–1.5 cm.
[Uses]
The leaves are used medicinally.
[Notes]
The name derives from the use of the leaves to stop bleeding.
