woodland wildflower
Virginia waterleaf
Hydrophyllum virginianum
Also known as Eastern Waterleaf, Shawnee Salad
1 of 2Native to much of the USA and southern Canada
Quebec to Manitoba, south through western New England to South Carolina, Tennessee, northern Arkansas and eastern Kansas.
- Light Part shade to shade Sun tolerance
- Moisture Moist Moisture preference
- Zones 3–8 Cold to heat range
- Bloom May–Jun Flowering time
- Height up to 32 in to 81 cm
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A woodland wildflower for part to full shade and evenly moist soil. At up to 32 in, it suits shade gardens and woodland edges. Hardy in USDA zones 3–8.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Hardiness zones
Find your zone:
Pollinators & wildlife
- Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee
also Western Honey Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee, Two-spotted Bumble Bee +36 more
American Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee, Tricolored Bumble Bee, Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Pure Green Sweat bee, Bombus fervidus, Red-belted Bumble Bee, Perplexing Bumble Bee, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee, Golden Sweat Bee, Rusty-patched Bumble Bee, Blue Orchard Bee, Bufflehead Mason Bee, Ceratina dupla, Colletes nudus, Snowy Mining Bee, Osmia pumila, Lasioglossum subviridatum, Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee, Milwaukee Mining Bee, Pseudopanurgus albitarsis, Colourful Willow Miner Bee, Sunflower Cuckoo Nomad Bee, Augochloropsis fulgida, Abrupt Digger Bee, Lasioglossum coriaceum, Eucera dubitata, Waterleaf Mining Bee, Spring Beauty Miner, Dunning's Miner, Eucera belfragei, Tetragona dissecta, Nomada hydrophylli - Flower flies Eastern Calligrapher
also American Snout Fly, Yellow-legged Bog Fly, Bombylius atriceps +1 more
Scar-horned Blacklet - Beetles Lined Longhorn Beetle also Slender Flower Longhorn Beetle, Mordellistena comata, Odontota mundula
- Also visited by
- Butterflies:
Question Mark, Hobomok Skipper +1 more
Arctic Skipper - Moths: White Slant-line, White-spotted Sable
- Wasps: Parancistrocerus pensylvanicus
- Butterflies:
Butterflies that use this plant
Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.
- American snoutnectar
- Question marknectar
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (28): AR, CT, DC, DE, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SD, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV. Canada (3): MB, ON, QC. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- Quebec to Manitoba, south through western New England to South Carolina, Tennessee, northern Arkansas and eastern Kansas.The same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Part shade to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Moisture
- MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 3–8 · Canadian 4–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
- Soil
- Rich, moist soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil texture
- Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
- Soil pH
- Mildly acid to mildly alkalineThe acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Growth & form
- Height
- up to 32 in (to 81 cm)Typical mature height.
- Spread
- ~1 ft (0.3 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
- Life cycle
- PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Flowers, foliage & fruit
- Type
- WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
- Bloom
- May–JunWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- White, PurpleThe bloom color, or colors.
- Toxicity
- None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.