• Common name : Water Shield, Dollar Bonnet, Fanwort
• Scientific name : Braseniaschreberi
• Family : Cabombaceae
• Native land : North America, California
Water shield is a small purple-flowered aquatic plant. It is found in northern ponds and still waters throughout the world, except in Europe. Each oval, floating leaf of water shield is 5-10 cm long. A long, jelly-coated stem connects the middle of the leaf to rootstocks buried in mud. Several leafstalks of varying lengths rise from the main stalk. The flowers are small and have three or four narrow petals; the small fruit is club-shaped. It is cultivated as a vegetable in China and Japan. It has some herbal properties as well.
