ballhead waterleaf
Hydrophyllaceae (Waterleaf family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
Map
Distribution of Hydrophyllum capitatum var. capitatum
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Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a short, deep-seated rhizome with fleshy fibrous roots; stems spreading to ascending, solitary or few, hairy, 10-40 cm tall.
Leaves:
Mostly basal, 10-15 cm long, 7-10 cm wide, long-stalked, pinnatifid into 7-11 leaflets, these with rounded margins or the margins with toothed lobes.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of compact, branched, short-stalked clusters of funnel-shaped flowers, the inflorescence shorter than the leaves; corollas lavender or bluish-purple to white, 5-9 mm long, 5-lobed, the lobes 2-6 mm long; styles and stamens protruding beyond the corolla; calyces bristly-hairy with linear-oblong lobes.
Fruits:
Capsules, globose; seeds 1-3.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Habitat and Range
Moist to dry meadows and forest openings in the steppe and montane zones; frequent in SC and SE BC; E to SW AB and S to CO and CA.Status Information
Taxonomic Keys
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 Source: Illustrated Flora of British Columbia |