waterleaf, common name for the Hydrophyllaceae, a family of herbs and some shrubs, widely distributed but especially abundant in W and SW North America. Best known in the United States are the waterleafs (genus Hydrophyllum), forest herbs eaten as greens by some Native American groups; the yerba santa (Eriodictyion californicum), a common chaparral shrub; and species of Nemophila, including the cultivated baby blue-eyes (N. menziesii) of California. Waterleaf is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Solanales.
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