Fendler's waterleaf (white waterleaf)
Hydrophyllaceae (Waterleaf family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
© Ian Cumming (Photo ID #4932)
Map
Distribution of Hydrophyllum fendleri var. albifrons
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Species Information
General:
Perennial from a short, stout rhizome with thickened fibrous roots; stems ascending to erect, solitary, reflexed-hairy, 20-80 cm tall.
Leaves:
Mostly basal, 6-30 cm long, 4-15 cm wide, long-stalked, appressed-hairy above, soft-hairy below, pinnatifid with 7-15 hairy, toothed, pointed leaflets.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of compact, branched, long-stalked clusters of funnel-shaped flowers; flower stalks 2-7 mm long; corollas white, or sometimes, lavender or purplish, 6-10 mm long, stalked, 5-lobed, the lobes 4-5 mm long; styles and stamens protruding beyond the corolla; calyces long-hairy on the margins, short-hairy on the backs, the lobes linear.
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 mesic meadows and forest openings in the montane to subalpine zones; infrequent in the Coast-Cascade Mountains of SW BC; S to ID, WY, UT, NM and N CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Hydrophyllum congestum Wieg.
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 |