Great Waterleaf

Hydrophyllum appendiculatum

Found in rich moist forests. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Good

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height: 1–2 feet
Light: Part shade, Shade
Soil moisture: Average

No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle: Biennial

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 4 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

1CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Hydrophyllum

Morrisonia evictaBicolored Woodgrain

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

7BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Hydrophyllum

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Boraginaceae
Flower color: White or purple

Growing sources and scope

Flower color · “White or purple” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Height · “1–2 feet” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Life cycle · “Biennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Light · “Part shade; Shade” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil · “medium” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading

Conservation status

Alabama rank	S2?
Global rank	G5
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

Spreads by rhizomes. Spreads by rhizomes and by re-seeding. Tennessee Smart Yards

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.