Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum

Native

Common

Moist to wet. Woods.

May to June

Lavender to white

6″ to 30″

This 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 deeply pinnately divided into usually 5, sometimes 7 or 9, lobes cut almost to the midrib. 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 ⅜″ 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.

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. It is found only in the southeast.