Plant Profile: Virginia Waterleaf

Hydrophyllum virginianum

Virginia waterleaf flowers in May and early June with purple to almost white flowers. Early in the season, the leaves bear whitish marks that resemble water stains.

Virginia waterleaf, a native perennial also called eastern waterleaf, is one of the first plants to emerge in spring in moist forest understories. Initially its deeply lobed and toothed leaves have white patches that resemble water stains. The patches tend to fade as the leaves age, so by summer they are a uniform green.

From May into June, waterleaf produces clusters of nodding, bell-shaped flowers with five purple to white petals and five hairy, green sepals. Each flower has five stamens with hairy filaments and yellow anthers that later turn brown. A single pistil with a divided stigma emerges from the center of each flower. Both the stamens and pistil are exserted, meaning they extend beyond the petals. This gives the flowers a spiky or fringed appearance.

In waterleaf and many other flowering plants, the pistils mature later than the stamens. Typically, the stigma of a pistil isn’t ready to accept pollen until the anthers in the same flower have matured and released their pollen. This difference in timing, called dichogamy (dy-KOG-ah-mee), favors cross-pollination and the potential adaptive benefit of mixing genes from different plants.

Left: Flowers of Virginia waterleaf have distinctive hairy filaments. Both the stamens and the pistils extend beyond the petals. Right: A flower closeup showing four of five stamens, a pistil with a divided stigma (top arrow) and a nectary (bottom arrow). 

The flowers are pollinated by a variety of insects seeking pollen and nectar. Bumble bees are common visitors; they reach deep into the flower for nectar and are dusted with pollen in the process. Sweat bees, mason bees and mining bees also visit the flowers for pollen or nectar, or both. The waterleaf mining bee, Andrena geranii, is a specialist on this plant, collecting both pollen and nectar (1).

Another significant pollinator is the federally endangered rusty-patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis, Minnesota’s state bee. Early in the season, this bee relies on spring-flowering plants such as waterleaf for nourishment. This led a group of researchers to include Hydrophyllum, Dicentra (Dutchman’s breeches, e.g.) and other spring bloomers in a full-season menu of plants to support these bees (2).

After flowering and pollination, waterleaf develops spherical capsules containing 2-4 wrinkled, brown seeds that mature in late June or early July. Most references state that the seeds germinate after experiencing winter conditions outdoors or winter-like conditions (in a refrigerator) indoors. 

Maturing capsules are about 1/4 inch (~5 mm) across.

A related species, appendaged waterleaf (H. appendiculatum) breaks seed dormancy in two stages. After a period of warmth, the root breaks dormancy first and emerges from the seed in the cooler temperatures of fall. Then, after winter, the shoot breaks dormancy (3). It’s unclear if the same is true of Virginia waterleaf, but because the seeds are released in June, with at least a couple of months of warmth before cooler temperatures arrive, it’s possible that its seeds also have two stages of dormancy.

Waterleaf also reproduces vegetatively, spreading quickly by rhizomes to form dense patches. This is a faster way for the plant to produce mature individuals, but this kind of reproduction sacrifices genetic diversity. All plants grown from a common rhizome are clones – they are genetically identical. In a stable, suitable environment, this is successful, but in a changing environment, vegetative reproduction can leave the plants without the potential adaptations that gene exchange can bring.

Virginia waterleaf reproduces not just by seed but also by rhizome. Left: A rhizome bears a single leaf and several roots.
Right: Rhizomes help waterleaf grow into dense patches. 

Division of patches is also a faster way to multiply the plant for restorations or gardens. Iowa State University rates waterleaf's woodland restoration potential as high by transplant, meaning it can “establish and reproduce quickly.” (4)

Waterleaf can also help capture nutrients that would otherwise flow from agricultural land to adjacent water bodies, especially in spring. In one study, researchers found that Virginia waterleaf and other selected plants excelled at accumulating biomass and capturing nitrogen, a significant water pollutant (5). The study supports the idea that intentional transplant of waterleaf and other high-biomass, spring-emergent plants into disturbed or restored floodplain forest can be as effective at capturing nutrients as a buffer of undisturbed native forest understory.

Cited References

1) Pollinators of Native Plants. Heather Holm. Pollination Press LLC, Minnetonka, MN. 2014.

2) Floral resources used by ­the endangered rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) in the Midwestern United States. Amy T. Wolf and others. Natural Areas Journal vol. 42, no. 4, pages 301-312. 2022.

3) Germination Ecophysiology of Hydrophyllum appendiculatum, a Mesic Forest Biennial. Jerry M. Baskin and Carol C. Baskin. American Journal of Botany vol. 72, no. 2, pages 185-190. 1985. Available to read with a free account at JSTOR.

4) Native Iowa Woodland Understory Restoration: A Guide to Species Reintroduction. Iowa State University. Website accessed June 29, 2025.

5) Restoring Nutrient Capture in Forest Herbaceous Layers of the Midwest (Iowa). Michaeleen Gerken Golay and others. Ecological Restoration vol. 28, no. 1, pages 14-17. 2010. Accessed through Iowa State University Digital Repository.

Additional References

Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum). Minnesota Wildflowers. Website accessed 6/26/25.

Virginia Waterleaf (Eastern Waterleaf). The Friends of the Wildflower Garden, Inc. Website accessed 6/26/25.

Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum). University of Wisconsin – Madison. Website accessed 6/26/25.