Practical
Plants

Brasenia schreberi

Water Shield

a perennial member of the Brasenia genus in the family Cabombaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Fertility
Beetles, Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Beetles, Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[2][4][7]. Considered a great delicacy in Japan where they are often bottled and sold in local markets[7]. They are mainly used in the spring[16]. A nutritional analysis is available[10]. Root - cooked[8][2][5]. Peeled then boiled and eaten, they can also be dried and stored for later use or ground into a powder[7].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaves are astringent[12]. They are crushed and applied to abscesses and boils[10], and are also used in the treatment of phthisis and dysentery[12]. A decoction of the seed is antidotal[10]. It is also used in the treatment of dysentery and to relieve thirst[10]. The plant is anthelmintic and vulnerary[3][6][10]. It is used in the treatment of cancer[10].

Product or use
Anthelmintic
Product or use
Antidote
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Cancer
Product or use
Vulnerary

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[15].

Product or use
Herbicide

Environment

Range
N. America - Nova Scotia to Manitoba and Nebraska, south to Florida, Texas and Mexico.
Habitat
Oligotrophic or mesotrophic ponds, lakes, and sluggish streams from sea level to 2000 metres[14].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
aquatic
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[9].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A floating plant producing stems up to 2 metres long[13], it should be grown in still lime-free water up to 1.8 metres deep[9]. Prefers a rich soil[9]. 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[15]. Plants are not fully hardy in Britain[17]. 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[9].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-090-x

    ↩1↩2

  3. Lassak. E. V. and McCarthy. T. Australian Medicinal Plants.

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  4. McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4

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  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  6. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

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  7. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

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  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  10. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  11. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

  12. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  13. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

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  14. Flora of N. America http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/

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  15. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩1↩2

  16. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  17. Muhlberg. H. Complete Guide to Water Plants. E. P. Publishing Ltd. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0-7158-0789-7

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