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The Nonindigenous Occurrences section of the NAS species profiles has a new structure. The section is now dynamically updated from the NAS database to ensure that it contains the most current and accurate information. Occurrences are summarized in Table 1, alphabetically by state, with years of earliest and most recent observations, and the tally and names of drainages where the species was observed. The table contains hyperlinks to collections tables of specimens based on the states, years, and drainages selected. References to specimens that were not obtained through sighting reports and personal communications are found through the hyperlink in the Table 1 caption or through the individual specimens linked in the collections tables.




Lysimachia nummularia
Lysimachia nummularia
(creeping jenny)
Plants
Exotic

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Lysimachia nummularia L.

Common name: creeping jenny

Synonyms and Other Names: Lysimachia zawadzkii Wiesner, Creeping jenny; Twopenny grass; Centimorbia; Monnoyere; Wandering Jenny; Creeping charlie

Taxonomy: available through www.itis.govITIS logo

Identification: Lysimachia nummularia is an herbaceous perennial. It is a low-growing, creeping ground cover which might form leafy mat. Roots where leaf nodes come in contact with the soil. This cultivar features rounded, slightly ruffled, yellow leaves (to 3/4" diameter). Profuse, cup-shaped, bright yellow flowers (to 3/4" across) appear in early summer.   Stems - Repent, tp +40cm long (and sometimes much longer), herbaceous, multiple from the base, typically simple, with 4 wings from deccurent leaf tissue. Wings to 0.7mm broad, forming vertical grooves along the sides of the stems.  Leaves - Opposite, petiolate. Petioles to +/-5mm long, glabrous, with a wide and shallow adaxial groove. Blades orbicular, to +/-2.5cm in diameter, glabrous, entire, somewhat cordate at the base, dark green above, lighter green below. Veins of the leaves impressed above, expressed below.   Inflorescence - Single axillary flowers. Peduncles to +/-2cm long, erect, glabrous.   Flowers - Petals typically 5 (sometimes 6), united at the very base and forming a small corolla tube. Tube to 1mm long. Free portion of petals glabrous, yellow, to +1.4cm long, 5-7mm broad, rounded at the apex, oblong-elliptic. Stamens 5(6), adnate at the base of the petals, erect, united at the base. Filaments yellow, broadest at the base and tapering to the apex, glandular puberulent, to 5mm long. Anthers yellow, to 2mm long. Ovary superior, green, glabrous, globose, 1.2mm in diameter. Style green, glabrous, 5mm long. Stigma small, purplish. Sepals 5(6), green, spreading, with the margins slightly revolute in the basal 1/2, ovate-lanceolate, acute to acuminate at the apex, to +/-7mm long, +/-5mm broad, glabrous.  

It is in flower from May to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by bees and flies. The plant is self-fertile.

Size: horizontal stems to 40cm+

Native Range: Eurasia.

Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs) Explained
Interactive maps: Point Distribution Maps

Nonindigenous Occurrences:

Table 1. States with nonindigenous occurrences, the earliest and latest observations in each state, and the tally and names of HUCs with observations†. Names and dates are hyperlinked to their relevant specimen records. The list of references for all nonindigenous occurrences of Lysimachia nummularia are found here.

StateFirst ObservedLast ObservedTotal HUCs with observations†HUCs with observations†
AL200820081South Atlantic-Gulf Region
AK200620072Baranof Island; Ketchikan
AR20082008*
CA200820081California Region
CO20082008*
CT200820081New England Region
DC200820081Middle Potomac-Anacostia-Occoquan
GA200820202Ogeechee-Savannah; Upper Chattahoochee
IL1970201835Big Muddy; Cache; Embarras; Iroquois; Kaskaskia; La Moine; Little Wabash; Lower Illinois; Lower Illinois; Lower Illinois-Lake Chautauqua; Lower Illinois-Senachwine Lake; Lower Ohio; Lower Ohio-Bay; Lower Sangamon; Lower Wabash; Middle Kaskaskia; Middle Wabash-Busseron; Pecatonica; Rock; Saline; Salt; Shoal; South Fork Sangamon; Spoon; Sugar; The Sny; Upper Illinois; Upper Kaskaskia; Upper Mississippi Region; Upper Mississippi-Cape Girardeau; Upper Mississippi-Kaskaskia-Meramec; Upper Mississippi-Meramec; Upper Sangamon; Vermilion; Wabash
IN1971201528Blue-Sinking; Driftwood; Eel; Eel; Iroquois; Kankakee; Little Calumet-Galien; Lower East Fork White; Lower Wabash; Lower White; Middle Ohio-Laughery; Middle Wabash-Busseron; Middle Wabash-Little Vermilion; Muscatatuck; Patoka-White; Silver-Little Kentucky; St. Joseph; St. Marys; Sugar; Upper East Fork White; Upper Illinois; Upper Maumee; Upper Wabash; Upper White; Wabash; Wabash; Whitewater; Wildcat
IA20082008*
KS20082008*
KY200820122Licking; Upper Kentucky
LA20082008*
ME200820081New England Region
MD200820081Mid Atlantic Region
MA200820081New England Region
MI1888201923Betsie-Platte; Boardman-Charlevoix; Clinton; Great Lakes Region; Kawkawlin-Pine; Little Calumet-Galien; Lower Grand; Manistee; Muskegon; Northeastern Lake Michigan; Northwestern Lake Huron; Pigeon-Wiscoggin; Raisin; Saginaw; Southcentral Lake Superior; Southeastern Lake Michigan; Southwestern Lake Huron; St. Clair; St. Clair-Detroit; St. Joseph; Tittabawassee; Upper Grand; Western Lake Erie
MN200820088Kettle; Lower St. Croix; Root; Rush-Vermillion; Twin Cities; Upper Mississippi-Black-Root; Upper Mississippi-Crow-Rum; Zumbro
MS20082008*
MO200820151Lower St. Francis
NE199620113Lower Platte; Lower Platte-Shell; Middle Platte-Prairie
NV20082008*
NH200820081New England
NJ200820081Mid-Atlantic Region
NY1882202231Bronx; Cattaraugus; Chaumont-Perch; Chemung; Eastern Lake Erie; Great Lakes Region; Hudson-Hoosic; Hudson-Wappinger; Indian; Irondequoit-Ninemile; Lake Ontario; Long Island; Lower Genesee; Lower Hudson; Lower Hudson; Middle Hudson; Mohawk; Oak Orchard-Twelvemile; Oneida; Oswego; Oswego; Richelieu; Rondout; Sacandaga; Salmon-Sandy; Seneca; Southwestern Lake Ontario; St. Lawrence; Upper Delaware; Upper Genesee; Upper Susquehanna
NC20082008*
OH2008202236Ashtabula-Chagrin; Auglaize; Black-Rocky; Blanchard; Cuyahoga; Hocking; Huron-Vermilion; Lake Erie; Licking; Little Miami; Little Muskingum-Middle Island; Lower Great Miami, Indiana, Ohio; Lower Maumee; Lower Scioto; Mahoning; Middle Ohio; Middle Ohio-LittleMiami; Middle Ohio-Raccoon; Mohican; Muskingum; Ohio Brush-Whiteoak; Paint; Raccoon-Symmes; Sandusky; Scioto; Southern Lake Erie; Tuscarawas; Upper Great Miami, Indiana, Ohio; Upper Ohio; Upper Ohio-Beaver; Upper Ohio-Shade; Upper Ohio-Wheeling; Upper Scioto; Walhonding; Western Lake Erie; Wills
OR1900201219Coast Fork Willamette; Coquille; Illinois; Lower Columbia-Clatskanie; Lower Columbia-Sandy; Lower Willamette; Mckenzie; Middle Columbia-Hood; Middle Fork Willamette; Middle Rogue; Middle Willamette; North Umpqua; Pacific Northwest Region; South Santiam; Tualatin; Umpqua; Upper Rogue; Upper Willamette; Yamhill
PA1990200834Allegheny; Connoquenessing; Conococheague-Opequon; Lake Erie; Lehigh; Lower Delaware; Lower Delaware; Lower Juniata; Lower Monongahela; Lower Susquehanna; Lower Susquehanna; Lower Susquehanna-Penns; Lower Susquehanna-Swatara; Lower West Branch Susquehanna; Mahoning; Mid Atlantic Region; Middle Allegheny-Redbank; Middle Allegheny-Tionesta; Middle Delaware-Mongaup-Brodhead; Middle West Branch Susquehanna; Monocacy; Monongahela; Pine; Schuylkill; Tioga; Upper Delaware; Upper Juniata; Upper Ohio; Upper Ohio-Beaver; Upper Ohio-Wheeling; Upper Susquehanna; Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna; Upper Susquehanna-Tunkhannock; Upper West Branch Susquehanna
RI200820081New England Region
TN20082008*
VT20082008*
WA1995200811Duwamish; Hood Canal; Lake Washington; Lower Chehalis; Lower Columbia-Clatskanie; Nisqually; Pacific Northwest Region; Puget Sound; Puyallup; Strait of Georgia; Upper Chehalis
WV200820206Elk; Greenbrier; Tygart Valley; Upper Guyandotte; Upper Ohio-Shade; Upper Ohio-Wheeling
WI2005200826Bad-Montreal; Black; Black-Presque Isle; Buffalo-Whitewater; Castle Rock; Coon-Yellow; Flambeau; Fox; La Crosse-Pine; Lower St. Croix; Lower Wisconsin; Northwestern Lake Michigan; Oconto; Pecatonica; Pike-Root; Rock; Southwestern Lake Michigan; Upper Fox; Upper Fox; Upper Mississippi Region; Upper Mississippi-Black-Root; Upper Mississippi-Maquoketa-Plum; Upper Rock; Upper Wisconsin; Wisconsin; Wolf

Table last updated 12/8/2024

† Populations may not be currently present.

* HUCs are not listed for states where the observation(s) cannot be approximated to a HUC (e.g. state centroids or Canadian provinces).


Ecology: Habitats include stream banks, bottoms, seeps, fens, roadsides, ditches, woodland borders, thickets, moist areas of black soil prairies, cemeteries, and edges of yards (Campbell et al. 2010, Forest Service 2013). This species needs moist soils to grow (Missouri Botanical Garden 2012). It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade (Missouri Botanical Garden 2012). Elevation ranges between 0-3280 feet.

Lysimachia nummularia reproduces and vegetatively; plant fragments can flow downstream and develop into new plants (IPANE 2013, MISIN and MNFI 2013). As the stem grows horizontally along the ground, new roots develop at the steam nodes (IPANE 2013, Kennay and Fell 2011). North American populations are not known to produce seeds (IPANE 2013).

Moneywort remains green most of the year in the Great Lakes (Kennay and Fell 2011).

Means of Introduction: Deliberate release.

Status: Established where recorded.

Impact of Introduction: Thrives in damp soils which will often kill off other types of ground covers. It is likely too invasive for border fronts or areas adjacent to lawns. 

References: (click for full references)

Campbell, S., P. Higman, B. Slaughter, and E. Schools. 2010. A Field Guide to Invasive Plants of Aquatic and Wetland Habitats for Michigan. Michigan DNRE, Michigan State University Extension, Michigan Natural Features Inventory. 90 pp.

Forest Service. 2013. Lysimachia nummularia. Available http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/lysnum/all.html. Accessed 2 May 2013.

Garden, M. B. 2012. Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'. Available http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/t120/lysimachia-nummularia-aurea.aspx. Accessed 2 May 2013.

Indiana Natural Hertiage Database. 2011. Illinios Threatened and Endangered Species by County. 126 pp.

Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (IPANE). 2013. Moneywort Lysimachia nummularia L. Available http://www.eddmaps.org/ipane/ipanespecies/herbs/lysimachia_nummularia.htm. Accessed 2 May 2013.

Kennay, J. and G. Fell. 2011. VEGETATION MANAGEMENT GUIDELINE: Moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia). Illinois Natural History Survey; Prairie Research Institute. Available http://www.inhs.illinois.edu/research/VMG/moneywort.html. Accessed 2 May 2013.

Midwest Invasive Species Information Newtork (MISIN) and Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI). 2013. Moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia). Available http://www.misin.msu.edu/facts/detail.php?id=178. Accessed 2 May 2013.

New York Invasive Species Council. 2010. Final report: a regulatory system for non-native species. Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY. 131 pp.

Ownbey, G.B., and T. Morley. 1991. Vascular plants of Minnesota. A checklist and atlas. University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis

Seymour, F.C. 1969. The flora of New England. Charles E. Tuttle Company.

Rutland Smith, E.B. 1988. An atlas and annotated list of the vascular plants of Arkansas, 2d ed.

Thomas, R.D., and C.M. Allen. 1997. Atlas of the vascular flora of Louisiana, Vols. 1-3 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Natural Heritage Program. Baton Rouge

Other Resources:
Illinois Plant Information Network (ILPIN).  Online: http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/ilpin/ilpin

USDA/NRCS PLANTS Database

Wisconsin vascular plants. Online: http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/herbarium/

Author: Cao, L, and L. Berent

Revision Date: 8/19/2019

Citation Information:
Cao, L, and L. Berent, 2024, Lysimachia nummularia L.: U.S. Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL, https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=2680, Revision Date: 8/19/2019, Access Date: 12/9/2024

This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.

Disclaimer:

The data represented on this site vary in accuracy, scale, completeness, extent of coverage and origin. It is the user's responsibility to use these data consistent with their intended purpose and within stated limitations. We highly recommend reviewing metadata files prior to interpreting these data.

Citation information: U.S. Geological Survey. [2024]. Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database. Gainesville, Florida. Accessed [12/9/2024].

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