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Photo: Nativeplants garden, via Wikimedia CommonsLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0

Waterleaf

Talinum fruticosum

Family: Talinaceae

Pet & Human Safety

People: Not researchedPets: Not on the ASPCA lists as we read them
Human edibility
Edible
Edible parts
leaves, young stems (cooked)
Hazardous parts
Not yet checked.
Preparation
Cook before eating in quantity; wash well (UF/IFAS HS1434).
Hazard type
soluble oxalates (kidney-stone risk in large raw amounts); low hydrocyanic acid
Hazard route
Not yet checked.
How complete this information is
The safety information on this page is partial. Where a source covers a point, it is shown; where none does, the page says so.

Toxic to pets
No ASPCA entry found.

No source we checked assesses this plant for pets, so the app makes no pet claim either way.

Look-alike warning
Could be mistaken for Look-alike plants. To tell them apart: NC State lists Hydrophyllum canadense and Phacelia bipinnatifida as plants Hydrophyllum virginianum is confused with; relevant only to the wild plant, and no look-alike information was read for Talinum..
Look-alike warning
Could be mistaken for Plants that share its name. To tell them apart: 'Waterleaf' names at least two unrelated plants. The vegetable is Talinum fruticosum (UF/IFAS writes Talinum triangulare, used interchangeably; family Talinaceae). Hydrophyllum virginianum, eastern waterleaf (Hydrophyllaceae; also called John's cabbage), is a different wild woodland perennial (NC State). Do not mix their facts..

Poison control

If someone has collapsed, cannot be woken, is having a seizure or has trouble breathing, call 911 now. For any other possible poisoning, call Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.

Emergency number source: U.S. federal law (47 U.S.C. § 251(e)(3)), read 2026-10-07.

Naturalist Lore

Historical Background & Breeding Lore

The history of this plant and its name, and how it was bred, where we have them.

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Care

Hardiness zones

Not checked yet

Water needs

UF/IFAS HS1434: tolerant of a range of moisture levels, and can withstand some flooding.

Mature size

3 to 10 ft tall (UF/IFAS HS1434, Florida) Spacing: UF/IFAS HS1434: rows 6 inches apart; plants 6 inches apart in low-fertility soil and 10 inches apart in fertile soil.

Soil & Drainage
Pruning & Flush Rhythm
Feeding Schedule

How to prepare the soil, when and what to feed, and how and when to prune where that applies.

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Anatomy & Guilds

Botanical Anatomy & Characteristics

How the flowers and leaves are built and which pollinators visit, where we have them.

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Field Doctor

Field Doctor

What can go wrong with this plant and what to do about it, where we have them.

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Vintage Plates

Vintage Plates

Old botanical drawings from public libraries are in the app, for plants where we have them.

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Sources

  1. Kew World Checklist
  2. University of Maryland Extension, Vegetable planting calendar (Waterleaf row; central Maryland)
  3. NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, Hydrophyllum virginianum (a different wild plant; read for the naming trap only)
  4. UF/IFAS EDIS HS1434 - Waterleaf, a Potential Leafy Vegetable for Florida

How we choose sources

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