Hydrophyllum tenuipes - Pacific waterleaf

Family: Hydrophyllaceae (Waterleaf family) [E-flora]

Hydrophyllum tenuipes -- flowers and leaves
(Wikimedia)1
Hydrophyllum tenuipes 11186
(Wikimedia)2
Pacific waterleaf (Hydrophyllum tenuipes) (5813743083)
(Wikimedia)3

Origin Status: Native [E-flora]

"Hydrophyllum tenuipes is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.8 m (2ft 6in). The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil." [PFAF]

Introduction "Pacific Waterleaf is found in North America from southern British Columbia south to northern California (Douglas et al. 1999). It reaches its northern limits of distribution in British Columbia. In BC, it is restricted in occurrence to the Fraser Valley (in the Abbotsford area and Chilliwack areas) and southern Vancouver Island, where t occurs in clonal patches in rich moist soils in woods and along streams (Douglas et al. 1999). Populations in the Fraser Valley are significantly threatened by expanding urban development, directly through site loss and indirectly through habitat decline." [E-flora]

General: "Perennial herb from a short or elongate rhizome; stems spreading to ascending, solitary, usually reflexed-hairy, 20-80 cm tall." [IFBC-E-flora]
Leaves: "Mostly basal, 10-25 cm long, 6-15 cm wide, long-stalked, somewhat palmately divided into 5-7, hairy, toothed, pointed leaflets." [IFBC-E-flora]
Flowers: "Inflorescence of moderately compact, long-stalked clusters of funnel-shaped flowers; flower stalks 5-12 mm long; corollas green to greenish-white to blue or purple, 5-7 mm long, stalked, 5-lobed, the lobes 3-4 mm long; styles and stamens protruding beyond the corolla; calyces long-hairy on the margins, the lobes lanceolate." [IFBC-E-flora]
Fruits: "Capsules, round; seeds 1-3." [IFBC-E-flora]

Habitat / Range "Moist woodlands and streambanks in the lowland zone; rare on S Vancouver Island and the lower Fraser Valley; S to N CA." [IFBC-E-flora]

Edible Uses

Propagation
"Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in early spring. Sow stored seed as early in the year as possible. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring or autumn[200]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring." [PFAF]

Cultivation
"We have almost no information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain though judging by the plants native range it should succeed outdoors at least in the milder areas of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Requires a moist humus-rich soil in semi-shade[200]. Slugs are particularly fond of this plant and will soon destroy it if given a chance[K]." [PFAF]

References

  1. http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Hydrophyllum%20tenuipes&redblue=Both&lifeform=7, Accessed Jan 29, 2015
  2. http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hydrophyllum+tenuipes, Accessed Jan 27, 2015

Hydrophyllum Sp. - Waterleaf

"[Biennial or] perennial herb from rhizomes [taproots]; roots fleshy-fibrous and fibrous [or tuber-like]. Stem: suberect to erect, simple or branched, fleshy, or 0 and leaves from rhizomes. Leaf: simple, pinnate-[palmate-]lobed, or compound, basal or cauline, alternate, mottled white in shade; petiole widened, proximally purple, bases clasping, persistent, fleshy, juicy; leaflets toothed or lobed, hairy, generally paler abaxially, basal pair free, terminal ± united. Inflorescence: generally branched, generally head-like cymes; peduncles proximally purplish, in fruit erect or recurved; pedicels generally elongate, in fruit spreading or recurved. Flower: calyx bell-shaped, lobes generally equal, generally ± alike, linear to narrowly oblong or lanceolate, acute to obtuse, glabrous or hairy, generally ciliate, generally ± enlarging in fruit, sinus appendages 0 [present]; corolla lobed to middle, > calyx, bell-shaped, white, cream, ± green, purple, or blue, tube with linear scales at base forming channeled pollinator guide, lobes with nectary gland on midvein, hairy; stamens equal, exserted, filaments at mid-level generally hairy; ovary chamber 1, placentas parietal, style 1, exserted, glabrous, cleft < 1/4, stigmas 2, base persistent, disk proximal to ovary. Fruit: capsule, 3–5 mm, spheric; tip generally bristly, loosely enclosed by calyx. Seed: 1–4, oblong to spheric, brown or yellow- or red-brown, net-like, fleshy appendages 0.
2n=18.
11 species: North America; some cultivated as ornamentals. (Greek: water leaf) [Constance 1942 Amer Midl Naturalist 27:710–731] Hydrophyllum capitatum var. alpinum raised to species rank, as Hydrophyllum alpestre.
Unabridged references: [Beckmann 1979 Amer J Bot 66:1053–1061]" [Jepson]

Local Species;

  1. Hydrophyllum tenuipes - Pacific waterleaf [E-flora]

Key to the Species and Taxonomic Notes;

1. Leaflets entire or divided near the apex; rhizomes scarcely evident above ground..........................H. capitatum
1. Leaflets coarsely toothed along the margins; rhizomes usually conspicuous.
2. Leaf blades scarcely longer than wide, with 5 (7) segments, all but the lowermost pair usually confluent, the flower stalks 5-12 mm long..................................H. tenuipes
2. Leaf blades evidently longer than wide, with 7-15 segments, only the upper ones confluent; the flower stalks 2-7 mm long......................................H. fendleri [IFBC-E-flora]

Food Use of Related Sp;

Medicinal Use of Related Sp

References

Image References