Bluntleaf Waterleaf
Hydrophyllum canadense
Found in cove forests, rocky streambanks, other moist and nutrient-rich forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- 22–24 inches
- Spread
- 12–16 inches
- Light
- Dappled sunlight, Deep shade
- Soil moisture
- Usually moist
Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count
Will it fit your yard?
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Bloom
- May to August
- Fruiting season
- August to September
Not yet recorded · Leaves
Recorded in 39 Virginia counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 136 animals.
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Swainson's WarblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorum
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticorax
- Blackburnian WarblerDendroica fusca
- Blue-winged WarblerVermivora pinus
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Canada WarblerWilsonia canadensis
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
- Eastern PhoebeSayornis phoebe
- Evening GrosbeakCoccothraustes vespertinus
- Fish CrowCorvus ossifragus
- GadwallAnas strepera
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Great EgretArdea alba
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Least BitternIxobrychus exilis
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
Who uses this plant?
1CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA
Genus host records with ranges including VA · Hydrophyllum
- Morrisonia evictaBicolored Woodgrain
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 4.0No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Plant details
- Family
- Hydrophyllaceae
- Soil pH
- Neutral to alkaline
- Flower color
- Pink, purple or white
- Fruit begins
- August
- Fruit ends
- September
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “May to August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Pink, purple or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Fruit begins · “August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Height · “22–24 inches” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Neutral to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “12–16 inches” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Canada Waterleaf
Conservation status
| Virginia rank | S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| VA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications

























