Hydrophyllum fendleri var. albifrons
White Waterleaf

Family: Hydrophyllaceae (Waterleaf family)

Photo taken at Tumwater Canyon, in moist shaded woods near river (20 to 30 meters)

Flowers:

borne on compact generally subdichotomously branched cymes that lack a well developed main axis, generally subtending the leaves; pedicels 2 to 10 mm; corolla white, purple, or white with lavender marks, more or less campanulate, 6 to 11 mm

Leaves:

alternate; blade oblong to oval, longer than wide, deeply lobed; leaflets acuminate and sharply toothed, teeth generally 4-8 to a side, strigose above and softly white-hairy beneath

Plant:

perennial; 25 to 90 cm tall. Traditionally the roots were cooked and eaten by the Okanagon and Thompson.

Habitat:

thickets and moist open places, from lowlands to mid elevations in the mountains

Distribution of species:

Olympic Mountains, the Cacades, Sierra region and Palouse/ Blue Mountain/ central Idaho regions

Distribution of genus:

8 species: North America