Crush the leaves, and you'll know instantly where lemon bacopa, Bacopa caroliniana, gets the first part of its name. Or maybe not, but we'll get to that in a bit.

Lemon Bacopa is native to the southeastern United States from Maryland to Texas, including Florida. It's found throughout the state, including both the Panhandle and the Peninsula.

It's a small plant, growing to about six inches or less, but capable of forming large patches. It's found along the edges of freshwater ponds, marshes and swamps. It can grow in water or in moist soil. In fact, it's grown commercially for use in aquariums. One dealer calls lemon bacopa an "exceptionally undemanding" plant to grow.

The flowers are blue or white and showy, blooming year round. The leaves are on the succulent side; the stems are hairy.

Bacopa is a Latinized version of the name of the plant given to it by natives in French Guiana. There is a close cousin to lemon bacopa called water hyssop found throughout South America, Central America, the Caribbean and the southeast U.S., but it doesn't really look like this plant and it certainly doesn't smell like it.

Although it is native, it can be a bit of a pest and difficult to control especially when growing in farm ponds.