About Hydrophyllum capitatum Douglas ex Benth.
Hydrophyllum capitatum, commonly called ballhead waterleaf, is a perennial herbaceous species. Individual plants grow 10 to 40 centimeters (4 to 15 1/2 inches) tall; they are hairy and erect, with one solitary stem or a few stems, attached to fibrous roots that extend 25 centimeters (10 inches) deep. The leaves are green and alternately arranged, formed of 7 to 11 entire, pinnately divided leaflets. Leaf blades measure roughly 10 centimeters wide and 15 centimeters long. For the nominate variety, Hydrophyllum capitatum var. capitatum, inflorescences show partial dichotomous branching and sit close to the ground, below the plant’s leaves. A dwarf variety, Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii, grows in northern Oregon and southern Washington, and its flower heads are held on long stalks above the leaves. All flowers of Hydrophyllum capitatum have coiled, bell-shaped corollas 5 to 9 centimeters long, colored whitish to purplish-blue. Each flower also has 5 hairy calyx lobes, 5 long stamens, and anthers 0.6 to 1.3 millimeters long. Flowering occurs from March to July, and the flowers develop their purple color during the blooming season. The fruit this species produces is a capsule that holds 1 to 3 seeds per capsule. This species is naturally distributed in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, as well as in western United States across California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. It grows in habitats ranging from rather barren, dry, seasonally moist areas to shady environments, in fine or medium-textured soil. It most often occurs in open woodlands and slopes, from elevations of high plains up to subalpine meadows. It cannot tolerate salinity, grows in environments with a soil pH between 6.4 and 7.8, and is adapted to a yearly precipitation range of 16 to 30 inches, with minimum winter temperatures as low as -28 Fahrenheit. Indigenous peoples and settlers cooked the leaves and roots of Hydrophyllum genus plants, which includes ballhead waterleaf, to use as cooked greens.
