Hydrophyllum tenuipes

Pacific waterleaf, Slenderfoot Waterleaf, Pacific Waterleaf

Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Pacific waterleaf is a California native perennial found in northern coastal, Klamath Ranges, and northern coastal ranges in moist, shaded wooded slopes and streambanks at elevations from sea level to 1,800 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces white to cream-colored flowers in loose, spherical clusters, occasionally with hints of green or purple markings. Growing 20 to 60 centimeters tall with ascending to erect stems that are short-hairy or long-hairy, it develops from a long rhizome with overlapping scaly bases. Its compound leaves are distinctive, with 5 to 7 deeply toothed lobes, ranging from ovate to round in shape, and varying from 5 to 20 centimeters wide with long petioles. The plant produces small fruits 3 to 5 millimeters in diameter, containing one to three yellow or red-brown seeds.

Habitat: Moist, shaded, wooded slopes, streambanks

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 0-1800 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR, NCoRO

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.