Marsh Pennywort (Hydrocotyle vulgaris)

Although Hydrocotyle vulgaris was nicknamed “sheep rot” after an old European belief that it caused liver disease in grazing herds (later debunked), some folk remedies used small doses of this plant (which purportedly had some anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects) to cure coughs and discomforts (its taste slightly reminiscent of carrot). And though it’s scattered like a hardy weed across common spaces, marshes and fields, it’s also commonly associated with money (being called everything from copper coins to pennyworts) and therefore wealth. Thus, this “common water cup,” or “cup for the masses,” became both a symbol of wealth, abundance, and resilience across various cultures.