Pacific waterleaf – Hydrophyllum tenuipes
An emergent plant that grows well in the forest understory in Western Washington.
At-a-glance
- Family: Hydrophyllaceae
- Plant Type: Herb
- Distribution: This plant grows from British Columbia to northern California, growing on the western slope of the Cascades and along the coast in Washington.
- Height: This plant grows 8 to 32 inches (20 to 80 cm) in height.
- Flowers: Numerous greenish-white flowers growing in a round cluster with bristles on petals and sepals. Flowers have very long stamens extending well past the petals.
- Leaves: Leaves are long, up to 6 inches (15cm). They are divided into 5 sharply-toothed leaflets. Leaves are thin and delicate, green, with hairs on both sides.
Ethnobotany
This plant has been eated for food, but is considered to have low palatability. The Cowlitz tribe have been documented to eat the roots.
References
- BRIT – Native American ethnobotany database. Brit.org. [accessed 2022 May 29]. http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=hydrophyllum+tenuipes
- WTU Image Herbarium: https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Hydrophyllum%20tenuipes
Page Editors/Authors
This article was written by Sarah Verlinde-Azofeifa. For questions regarding the EERC Native Plant Guided Tour, contact Sarah at severlin@uw.edu.