Description: This native perennial plant is
1–2½' tall, branching sparingly. The stems are green or reddish
green, and glabrous or slightly hairy; when they are present, the hairs are
curved or appressed against the stem. The alternate leaves are up to 6" long
and 4" across (excluding the petioles). They are pinnately divided into 3-7
deep lobes and their margins are coarsely toothed or shallowly cleft. The lobes
of these leaves have acute tips. The upper surface of the earliest leaves in
spring has small patches of white that are scattered across the upper surface;
these white patches don't develop in later leaves. Each upper stem terminates
in 1 or 2 stalks of flowers. These flowering stalks (or peduncles) are quite
long and devoid of leaves. Each stalk terminates in a dense cyme of flowers
about 2" across; each cyme contains about 8-20 flowers. Each flower is about
1/3" long, consisting of a corolla with 5 lobes, a hairy green calyx with 5
slender teeth, 5 stamens, and a slender white style that is divided at its tip.
The corolla is white, pink, or light purple; its oblong lobes spread apart only
slightly. The stamens are strongly exerted from the corolla and quite
conspicuous; they have hairy white filaments and brownish anthers. The blooming
period usually occurs during late spring to early summer and lasts about 1
month; some plants may bloom a little earlier or later than this. Each flower
is replaced by a seed capsule that splits open to release the seeds. The root
system consists of a tuft of fibrous roots and rhizomes. Occasionally, this
plant forms colonies.
Cultivation:
The preference is partial sun to light shade, mesic conditions, and a rich
loamy soil with decaying leaves.
Range &
Habitat: Virginia Waterleaf occurs occasionally in central and
northern Illinois, while in southern Illinois it is uncommon or absent (see
Distribution
Map). Habitats include mesic deciduous woodlands, areas along woodland
paths, wooded slopes along rivers, and edges of clearings in wooded
areas.
Faunal Associations: The
flowers attract bumblebees and other long-tongued bees, which suck nectar
primarily. One of these, Nomada hydrophylli (Waterleaf Cuckoo Bee), is
an oligolege of Hydrophyllum spp. Halictid bees and Syrphid flies are
attracted to the pollen of the flowers, but they are less effective at
cross-pollination. The foliage is grazed by White-Tailed Deer to a limited
extent.
Photographic Location: Busey
Woods in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This is probably the most common
Hydrophyllum sp. in Illinois. Virginia Waterleaf has attractive flowers
and foliage; it blooms a little later than most spring-blooming wildflowers in
woodlands. The following characteristics distinguish this species from other
Hydrophyllum spp. that occur in the state: 1) There are no curved
appendages between the teeth of the calyx, 2) the stems are hairless, or they
have lines of hairs that are curved or appressed against the stem, 3) The
leaves are pinnately lobed and they are usually a little longer than wide, 4)
The lobes of the corolla spread apart only a little, and 5) The lobes of the
leaves have acute tips. Other Hydrophyllum spp. have little appendages
between the teeth of their calyxes, or they have stems with abundant spreading
hairs, or they have palmately lobed leaves that are as wide as they are long,
or the lobes of their corollas spread widely apart, or the lobes of their
leaves have blunt tips. While this set of distinctions may sound complicated,
it is usually easy to identify Virginia Waterleaf in the
field.