Western waterleaf
Hydrophyllum occidentale

Family: Boraginaceae

What it is like

A herb that keeps growing from year to year. It has an underground stem or rhizome. It produces a patch of leaves. The leaves have many pairs of oval shaped leaflets that have blunt lobes. The leaves can be 40 cm long. The flowers are at the top of erect stems. They are in a ball that is densely packed. The flowers are white. The fruit is a round capsule with 2 seeds.

Also put in the family Hydrophyllaceae.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant.

Countries/locations it is found in

North America, USA

How it is used for food

The roots are cooked and eaten. The young leaves are eaten in salads.

They are a significant food.

Edible parts

Leaves, root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Hydrophyllum macrophyllum var. occidentale S. Watson;