Brasenia schreberi - Water Shield

Family:	Cabombaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.1
Width:	2
Synonyms:	B. peltata.
Range:	N. America - Nova Scotia to Manitoba and Nebraska, south to Florida, Texas and Mexico.

Brasenia schreberi (Water Shield) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.1m and a width of 2m . It has a hardness rating of 0.
Water Shield will flower in January to February. The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Beetles, wind

Soil Information

Water Shield will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
Water Shield prefers soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Water Shield should not be planted in shady areas.

Ponds and slow streams[43].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Is a pond plant

Cultivation Details

A floating plant producing stems up to 2 metres long[266], it should be grown in still lime-free water up to 1.8 metres deep[200]. Prefers a rich soil[200]. A good plant for the water's edge but it is difficult to establish[1]. The submerged parts of the plant are conspicuously covered in a mucilaginous jelly[274]. Plants are not fully hardy in Britain[56]. According to another report this species requires a minimum winter temperature of 18°c and can only be grown in aquaria and ponds in heated greenhouses[200].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 3/5
The young curled leaf tips, which are coated with a thick transparent mucilage, are eaten as a salad with vinegar, sake and soy sauce, or they added to soups as a thickener[106, 159, 183]. Considered a great delicacy in Japan where they are often bottled and sold in local markets[183]. They are mainly used in the spring[46]. A nutritional analysis is available[218]. Root - cooked[2, 106, 177]. Peeled then boiled and eaten, they can also be dried and stored for later use or ground into a powder[183].

• Leaves -
• Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 2/5
The leaves are astringent[240]. They are crushed and applied to abscesses and boils[218], and are also used in the treatment of phthisis and dysentery[240]. A decoction of the seed is antidotal[218]. It is also used in the treatment of dysentery and to relieve thirst[218]. The plant is anthelmintic and vulnerary[152, 178, 218]. It is used in the treatment of cancer[218].

• Anthelmintic - Expels parasites from the gut.
• Antidote - Counters poisoning.
• Astringent - Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
• Cancer - Used in the treatment of cancer.
• Vulnerary - Promotes the healing of wounds.

Propagation

Seed - no details have been found for this species. Seeds of many water plants have a short viability if allowed to dry out so it is probably best to sow the seed as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse or to store it in water until the spring and to sow then. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Just cover the pots with water and then increase the depth as the plants grow. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring[200].

Known Hazards

None known

Other Uses

The plant has phytotoxic properties that allow it to inhibit the growth of other plants nearby and therefore allow it to become dominant. This gives it a potential for the natural control of invasive water weeds[274].

• Herbicide - Plants or plant extracts that can inhibit the growth of other plants.

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Gray's Manual of Botany.
Fernald. M. L.
Author: Fernald. M. L.
Rating:
Publisher : A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
Date of Publication : 1950

The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Huxley. A.
Author: Huxley. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Date of Publication : 1992

An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada
Britton. N. L. Brown. A.
Author: Britton. N. L. Brown. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.
Date of Publication : 1970

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