Virginia waterleaf

(Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum)

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Wetland Indicator Status

Great Plains

FAC - Facultative

Midwest

FAC - Facultative

Northcentral & Northeast

FAC - Facultative

 
Virginia waterleaf
 
 
Description

Virginia waterleaf, also called eastern waterleaf, is a 6 to 30 tall, erect, perennial forb that rises on multiple stems from fleshy, fibrous roots and a long, scaly rhizome.

The stems are erect, hairless near the bottom, hairy above the middle with short, appressed hairs.

Basal leaves are on stalks up to 5½ long. Stem leaves are alternate and on shorter stalks, the stalks becoming gradually shorter as they ascend the stem. The leaves are broadly triangular in outline, 4 to 8 long, usually wider than long. They ate dark green and often have pale green or whitish markings on the upper surface that resemble water spots. They are deeplydivided into usually 5, sometimes 7 or 9, lobes cut almost to the midrib (pinnatifid). The two basal lobes and the terminal lobe are divided again into 2 or 3 lobes. All lobes come to a sharp point at the tip. The margins have sharp, forward-pointing teeth.

The inflorescence is dense, compact, rounded clusters rising on forked stalks from the upper leaf axils and at the end of the stems.

The flowers are bell-shaped, ¼ to long on short stalks. The flower stalks have short, appressed, ascending hairs. They have 5 lavender to white petals, fused over half their length into a broad tube, then separating into 5 erect, flat-tipped lobes. There are 5 stamens with hairy filaments. The stamens and style extend well beyond the petals.

The fruit is a 1-chambered capsule with 1 to 3 seeds.

 

Height

6 to 30

 

Flower Color

Lavender to white

 

Similar Species

Great waterleaf (Hydrophyllum appendiculatum) is a somewhat taller plant with less deeply divided leaves and both short and long hairs on the stems. It reaches up to 48 at maturity. Stem leaves are shallowly palmately divided into usually 5 lobes, giving them a maple-like appearance. The petals are lavender to pink, rarely white. The upper stems are densely hairy with both short and long hairs. The inflorescence stalk and the individual flower stalks are densely hairy. The stamens and style extend only slightly beyond the petals. In Minnesota it is found only in the southeast.

Habitat

Moist to wet. Woods.

Ecology

Flowering

May to June

 

Pests and Diseases

 

Use

 

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

4/28/2025    
     

Nativity

Native

     

Occurrence

Common

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae (green algae and land plants)

Subkingdom

Viridiplantae (green plants)

Infrakingdom

Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)

Superdivision

Embryophyta (land plants)

Division

Tracheophyta (vascular plants)

Subdivision

Spermatophytina (seed plants) / Angiospermae (flowering plants)

Class

Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)

Superorder

Asteranae

Order

Boraginales (borages)

Family

Boraginaceae (borage)

Subfamily

Hydrophylloideae (baby blue eyes, phacelias, and waterleaves)

Genus

Hydrophyllum (waterleaves)

Species

Hydrophyllum virginianum (Virginia waterleaf)

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

 

   

Common Names

eastern waterleaf

John’s cabbage

northern waterleaf

Shawnee Salad

Shawnee-salad

Virginia waterleaf

Virginia water-leaf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Palmately divided

Similar to a hand. Having more than three lobes that radiate from a single point at the base of the leaf.

 

Pinnatifid

Deeply cut, more than half way to the midrib but not to the midrib, into lobes that are spaced out along the midrib; the lobes do not form separate leaflets.

 

Rhizome

A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.

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Luciearl

Virginia waterleaf
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
Virginia waterleaf    

Habitat

 

 

     
Virginia waterleaf   Virginia waterleaf

Plant

 

Plant

     
Virginia waterleaf   Virginia waterleaf
 

Inflorescence

 

 

 

 

Inflorescence  

 

     
Virginia waterleaf   Virginia waterleaf

Inflorescence

 

Inflorescence

     
Virginia waterleaf   Virginia waterleaf

Leaf

 

Leaf

     
Virginia waterleaf    

Leaf

 

 

 

Camera

Slideshows

 

 
 

 

slideshow

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Other Videos

Acrobat Ants Nectar Scraping Virginia Waterleaf
MrILoveTheAnts

About

Published on Jun 2, 2014

Virginia Waterleaf, Hydrophyllum virginianum, is a native ephemeral that is typically pollinated by bumblebees. Occasionally though ants, such as these Crematogaster cf. cerasi will steal the nectar, thus discouraging pollination. However these seem to only be nectar scraping the excess outside the petals.

Virgina Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virgianium)
PrairieMoonNursery

About

Uploaded on Apr 27, 2010

http://www.prairiemoon.com - Virginia Waterleaf is a very common woodland native plant. On April 1st at Prairie Moon Nursery, see the early spring "waterleaf" as it shows its 'water drops' growing in a moist woodland.

bumble bee on flower
Nathan Steffenson

About

Published on Jul 29, 2013

virginia Waterleaf mille lacs kathio 2007

 

Camcorder

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Luciearl
4/27/2025

Location: Lake Shore, MN

Virginia waterleaf
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

Afton State Park

Baker Park Reserve

Banning State Park

Beaver Creek Valley State Park

Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park

Big Woods Heritage Forest WMA

Blue Devil Valley SNA

Blue Mounds State Park

Brownsville Bluff SNA

Bur Oak WMA

Camden State Park

Cannon River Trout Lily SNA

Cannon River Turtle Preserve SNA

Cannon River Wilderness Area

Carley State Park

Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center

Carver Park Reserve

Cedar Mountain SNA

Chamberlain Woods SNA

Charles A. Lindbergh State Park

Cherry Grove Blind Valley SNA

Clear Lake SNA

Cleary Lake Regional Park

Clifton E. French Regional Park

Clinton Falls Dwarf Trout Lily SNA

Crow-Hassan Park Reserve

Des Moines River SNA

Dodge Nature Center

Edward Velishek Memorial WMA

Falls Creek SNA

Flandrau State Park

Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park

Fort Ridgely State Park

Fort Snelling State Park

Franconia Bluffs SNA

Frontenac State Park

Glacial Lakes Preserve

Glacial Lakes State Park

Glendalough State Park

Gneiss Outcrops SNA

Great River Bluffs State Park

Greenleaf Lake SRA

Grey Cloud Dunes SNA

Hampton Woods WMA

Hardscrabble Woods / MG Tusler Sanctuary

Hastings SNA

Hole-in-the-Mountain Prairie

Jay Cooke State Park

John A. Latsch State Park

John Peter Hoffman Spring Brook Valley WMA

Keller Regional Park

Kilen Woods State Park

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Lake Carlos State Park

Lake Louise State Park

Lawrence Creek SNA

Leif Mountain

Lost 40 SNA

Lost Valley Prairie SNA

Maplewood State Park

Mary Schmidt Crawford Woods SNA

Miesville Ravine Park Reserve

Mille Lacs Kathio State Park

Minneopa State Park

Minnesota Valley NWR, Black Dog Unit

Minnesota Valley NWR, Long Meadow Lake Unit

Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area, Lawrence Unit

Mississippi River County Park

Monson Lake State Park

Myre-Big Island State Park

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

Ney Nature Center

North Fork Zumbro Woods SNA

Oronoco Prairie SNA

Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo

P.N. and G.M. Nelson Wildlife Sanctuary

Phelps Lake WMA

Pin Oak Prairie SNA

Prairie Bush Clover SNA

Prairie Creek WMA, Koester Prairie Unit

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Rice Lake State Park

River Terrace Prairie SNA

River Warren Outcrops SNA

Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve

Rock Ridge Prairie SNA

Rockville County Park

Rushford Sand Barrens SNA

St. Croix Savanna SNA

St. Croix State Park

Sakatah Lake State Park

Savage Fen SNA

Seminary Fen SNA

Seven Mile Creek County Park

Seven Springs WMA

Sibley State Park

Split Rock Creek State Park

Spring Creek Prairie SNA

Spring Lake Park Reserve

Spring Lake Regional Park

Stanley Eddy Memorial Park Reserve

Sunfish Lake Park

Swedes Forest SNA

Townsend Woods SNA

Uncas Dunes SNA

Upper Sioux Agency State Park

Vermillion River WMA

Westwood Hills Nature Center

Whitetail Woods Regional Park

Whitewater State Park

Whitney Island SNA

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Wood-Rill SNA

Zumbro Falls Woods SNA

 

 

Binoculars

 

Created: 6/4/2005

Last Updated:

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