Plant · GBIF taxon 2882446
Watershield
Brasenia schreberiAlso known as Dollar Bonnet, Water Shield, Junsai
Watershield spreads bright green, oval leaves across quiet ponds and slow rivers, attached to underwater rhizomes by long flexible stems. The undersides of the leaves and stems are coated in a thick, clear gelatinous mucilage that deters herbivorous snails and insects. Small, solitary reddish-purple flowers lift above the water surface for a few days during summer pollination.
AquaticFloating LeavesPerennial
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Photosynthetic
Predators
- Waterfowl
- Muskrats
- Beavers
ThreatsAquatic habitat loss, water pollution, and invasive weeds
HabitatsShallow ponds, acidic lakes, and sluggish streams
Life spanPerennial
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderNymphaeales
- FamilyCabombaceae
- GenusBrasenia
- SpeciesBrasenia schreberi
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Feel the stem: Gently flip a leaf to observe the protective gelatinous coating on the underside.
- Look for summer blooms: Search between floating leaves in midsummer for small, dull purple flowers.
Frequent Companion "fragrant water lily" by USFWS Headquarters is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
Frequent Companion Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0 de · cc-by-sa
Frequent Companion (c) liz west, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Amber M. King, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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