Virginia Waterleaf, Eastern Waterleaf, Hydrophyllum virginianum, Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Virginia Waterleaf	Hydrophyllum virginianum L.	Waterleaf (Hydrophyllaceae)	Woodland	Spring to Early Summer
Other names and notes	(Eastern Waterleaf). Found extensively in the Woodland and Upland Garden, the 5-part flowers are white to lavender shaded, in clusters, with long protruding stamens and style. Leaves are oval to triangular and deeply pinnately divided. In some cases the leaves may look mottled as though water stained, hence the name. Plants in the Garden are usually 6 to 18" tall. The plant is an aggressive spreader from its many seeds. The roots are tough to weed out and the plant easily fills in any open space. It has spread quite extensively in the Garden.

Above: Close-up of the flower clusters showing the long protruding stamens, characteristic of this flower. Below: An extensive group of the plants blooming in the 1st week of June. Found in moist parts of wooded Minnesota.

Notes: Eloise Butler introduced the plant into the Garden in 1907 with specimens collected near the Lake Street Bridge in Minneapolis. She brought in additional plants in 1908 and in that year she observed a plant on April 19, 1908 that was already resident to the Garden and thus indigenous to the Garden area. Again, on April 22, 1912 she noted finding another group "by fence on the west border." Eloise would write: "It may be recognized by the pinnately divided leaf, often blotched with white, and the somewhat showy flower cluster made up of lavender colored bells to which a touch of fragile grace is added by the slender protruding stamens." Published June 4, 1911, Sunday Minneapolis Tribune

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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