''Hydrophyllum appendiculatum'', commonly known as great waterleaf, appendage waterleaf, or woolen breeches, is a species of plant in the

Boraginaceae Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the order ...

(borage) family. It is native to central and eastern North America where it is found primarily in the Midwest and Upper South of the United States. It is a biennial that produces lavender-colored flowers in late spring and early summer.''Great Waterleaf''
at Illinois Wildflowers

Description

''H. appendiculatum'' is a biennial

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

plant that grows to a height of with branching, hairy stems. The leaves are also hairy, alternate, and about long and across. The lower leaves are longer than they are wide, and the middle and upper leaves are more rounded. All the leaves are cleft into 3 to 5 lobes. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a loose cluster, or cyme of pinkish purple or lavender flowers at the ends of the stems and branches rising above the leaves, long. Each flower is across. The calyces have short, triangular appendages flaring away at the sinuses. This species can be distinguished from '' Hydrophyllum canadense'', which has a similar appearance and broad geographical overlap, by the presence of small appendages in the sinuses of the calyx of ''H. appendiculatum''. In addition, ''H. canadense'' and another similar plant, '' Hydrophyllum virginianum'', have less hairy stems than ''H. appendiculatum''.

Distribution and habitat

''H. appendiculum'' is native to the United States from Nebraska and Kansas to the west, Mississippi and Alabama to the south, the Canadian border to the north, and New York to the east. In Canada, it is native to Ontario. Its natural habitat is mesic calcareous forests, bottomland woods, bases of bluffs, quarries, and slopes.

Ecology

Flowers bloom May to July and attract a variety of bees, flies, butterflies, and skippers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17416053 appendiculatum