Centella asiatica [Apiaceae]; Asiatic PennywortI was instantly interested in this species when I came across is it, as I’d already seen the immense potential of the related New Zealand native Centella uniflora when using it in planting projects at O2 Landscapes. C. uniflora seemed to tolerate drought, neglect and sun in an impressive fashion.
Centella asiatica is used as a culinary and medicinal herb in South- and South-East Asia, where it is known by number of names including Gotu Kola and Kodavan. I’ve found no records of the Australian form being ingested here (although I’m sure that ethnobotanists and First-Nations communities may be able to fill-out my lack of knowledge here). I’ve tried the leaves raw and found them perfectly palatable, with a mildly bitter flavour (nowhere near as strong as rocket or radicchio).
This species is a fast-growing plant that can quickly colonise an area of bare ground. However, unlike similar creeping ground covers like Dichondra repens and Viola hederacea (which are both regularly seen in plantings in Australia), it initially grows with stolons (above-ground runners) instead of rhizomes (underground runners), which means that it initially does not form just a dense mat. It also seems to have quite a ‘boom and bust’ growth cycle, something that it shares with these other soft ground covers. The photo above was taken in 2019, and the dense green mat has come and gone several times, I presume mostly in response to drying out, but also from toddler-induced entropy. Either the plant requires regular moisture or the viewer requires a tolerance for seasonal decay.