Houttuynia cordata comes from the wet forests and streamsides of southeast Asia, and it carries that origin in its bones. Given moisture and even a modest foothold, it spreads by rhizomes that can regenerate from any fragment of stem or root, reaching one to two feet tall and colonizing sideways without pause. The genus honors the 18th-century Dutch naturalist Martin Houttuyn; the species name, cordata, refers to the heart-shaped leaves that come alive in the tricolor cultivar with patches of cream and deep red alongside the green.

In shade gardens or wet marginal areas where it can be controlled by a surrounding hard surface, it makes a genuinely handsome ground cover, especially in partial shade, where the coloring often intensifies. It tolerates standing water an inch or two deep and copes well with heavy shade. For gardens where boundaries matter, planting into a sunken container is the wiser approach. Aphids, slugs, and snails visit occasionally, though the plant is vigorous enough to shrug off most pressure. Where it fits, it earns its place; where it does not, removal is a long commitment.