Species: Brasenia schreberi
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Watershield is a rhizomatous perennial aquatic herb with branches which rise through the water, floating leafblades (lily pads), and emergent flowers. The leaves have long petioles attached alternately to the branches and centrally to the undersides of the floating leaf blades. The broadly elliptic to oval leaf blades are 4-12 cm long and 3-8 cm wide. Solitary flowers are held just above the water on long peduncles. The flowers usually have 3 sepals and 3 petals which are similar, translucent reddish-purple colored, linear to lance-shaped, and 1-1.5 cm long. There are 4-14 pistils and 12-36 purplish stamens which are about the same length as the petals and sepals. The leathery, beaked fruits are 6-8 mm long and mature underwater.
Classification
Dicotyledoneae
Nymphaeales
Cabombaceae
Brasenia
NatureServe
Classification
Ecology and Life History
Watershield is a rhizomatous perennial aquatic herb with branches which rise through the water, floating leafblades (lily pads), and emergent flowers. The leaves have long petioles attached alternately to the branches and centrally to the undersides of the floating leaf blades. The broadly elliptic to oval leaf blades are 4-12 cm long and 3-8 cm wide. Solitary flowers are held just above the water on long peduncles. The flowers usually have 3 sepals and 3 petals which are similar, translucent reddish-purple colored, linear to lance-shaped, and 1-1.5 cm long. There are 4-14 pistils and 12-36 purplish stamens which are about the same length as the petals and sepals. The leathery, beaked fruits are 6-8 mm long and mature underwater.