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Brasenia schreberi
water shield

Native to Florida

The water shield is a floating-leaved plant, but the long leaf stalks reach all the way to the bottom where they attach to a long creeping root that is anchored in the mud. Water shield occurs in lakes, ponds and slow streams, and prefers water up to six feet deep. There is just one species of Brasenia in Florida (Wunderlin, 1998). Water shield is generously sprinkled throughout the majority of the U.S., including AK; and in Canada (Kartesz, 1999).

Water shield leaves are oval and shield-shaped. Its leaf stalks are attached at the centers of the leaf blades. Its submersed parts and undersides of leaves are covered with a viscous jelly-like substance. Its flowers are small, dull purple, and emerge from the water on a stalk.

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