Hydrophyllum capitatum / ballhead waterleaf

Adjectives: clonal, edible, forest openings, native, rocky

Also known as: woollen-breeches, dwarf waterleaf

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Ballhead waterleaf is an early spring wildflower, sometimes going into early summer (July). It is usually in shadier spots on rocky soils that at least seasonally have moisture. In drier areas, it may be under rock outcroppings or shaded by taller plants. It may get up to 10 inches tall.

The two things that make it easy to recognize are its long, deeply lobed leaves with 7 to 11 lobes, and its single, globose (ball-shaped) inflorescence. Some of the leaves are attached to the rhizome or stem below ground. The flowers occur in dense, tightly coiled, round, frizzy, purple-blue-white flower heads. Within these balls, the individual flowers are bell-shaped and the stamens extend well beyond the rim of the corolla. Each flower also has 5 hairy, calyx lobes, should you care to pull one apart. Before they open, the buds, sepals and petals are rather fuzzy.

While Hydrophyllums are not fragrant, they do attract a number of insect pollinators that forage on nectar or pollen. These include flies, and bumble bees and mason bees. Hummingbirds may also visit.

Different sites and books describe the location of the flower heads differently. Many note that they are usually below the leaves, or amongst them, or at ground level, but occasionally they are said to be sometimes above the leaves. So, location is less important a diagnostic tool, perhaps, than the inflorescence itself.

Because the flowers and fruits can be at ground level, it has been suggested by various ecologists that the seeds are dispersed by ants, but apparently there is no direct evidence of this.

Ballhead waterleaf is a perennial with rather deep and short rhizomes from which drop fleshy, fibrous roots. The rhizomes and all above-ground parts of the plants are edible, with the usual caveats to wash before eating and ask your mother if they are safe.