Pacific waterleaf, Hydrophyllum tenuipes, is a deciduous perennial native to British Columbia and as far south as Northern California. It likes moist, rich soil and a good amount of shade. Given the right conditions, it will spread by rhizomes into a large mat about 12' high. In mid-spring to mid-summer, it produces greenish white flowers with bristly stemens that extend well beyond the petals.

In the Buck Lake Native Plant Garden, a big clump of Pacific waterleaf grows at the top of the slope leading down to the lower basin of the rain garden, near the path that runs behind the bench. Our plant is a variegated form of Hydrophyllum tenuipes.