Hydrophyllum occidentale

General: Perennial, 10-60 cm tall; stems solitary, erect, usually branched near the base, giving a tufted appearance, pubescence short and finely hairy to somewhat hispid; rhizomes short, stout; roots fibrous, fleshy. Leaves: Basal or nearly so, alternate, pinnate to deeply pinnatifid, 5-16 (20) cm long; leaflets 7-15, the lower ones distantly spaced, the upper ones united, oblong, ovate, or lanceolate, surfaces strigose, margins of the ultimate divisions coarsely few-toothed or lobed; petiole long. Flowers: Solitary, borne on slender peduncles arising from the leaf axils; calyx 5-parted, cleft to nearly the base, the lobes oblong-lanceolate, the margins ciliate; corolla 5- parted, saucer-shaped, 1.2-1.8 cm wide, white, whitish, or lilac-purple, the lobes nearly orbicular, glabrous, the tube densely pubescent, usually yellowish; flowers April-May. Fruits: Loculicidal capsule; seeds 1-2. Ecology: Shaded habitats along streams, in rich soils; 1200-1800 m (4000-6000 ft); Coconino, Gila, and Yavapai counties; western and southwestern U.S. Notes: na Editor: Springer et al. 2008