Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Basal Angiosperms (flowering plants): Nymphaeales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Brasenia schreberi
FAMILY
Cabombaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Brasenia from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
The elliptical, peltate leaves are distinctive in comparison to our other rooted aquatics with broad, floating leaves. Also distinctive is the thick layer of gelatinous mucilage coating underwater parts of the plant (stems, petioles, and leaf undersurfaces), presumably acting as an anti-herbivory deterrent, per Weakley's Flora (2022)
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Brasenia schreberi
FAMILY
Cabombaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Brasenia schreberi
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Brasenia schreberi
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 075-02-001:
Brasenia schreberi FAMILY Cabombaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Brasenia schreberi
COMMON NAME:
Water-shield, Purple Wen-dock
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_brsc_001_lvd
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_brsc_003_lvd
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Alan S. Weakley asw_246514964619928
May Cumberland County NC
Carvers Creek State Park
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John B. Nelson jbn_2529320856_27cb0b6ac9
May Kershaw County SC
Goodale State Park
Flowers solitary, reddish-brown, about 1" wide, held above water surface on red stems, per Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019).
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JK Marlow jkm150529_113
May Spartanburg County SC
Leaf blades all floating, peltate, elliptic, not notched, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
COMPARE
aquatic plants
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JK Marlow jkm150529_114
May Spartanburg County SC
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Will Stuart wil_8936037265_dc6c3b3f3b
May Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Bottom left flower functionally pistillate, center flower functionally staminate.
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Will Stuart wil_8936136491_eb6b36b2c3
May Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Protogyny (female parts maturing before male) prevents self-fertilization, per Book of Swamp and Bog (Eastman, 1995).
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Will Stuart wil_8936630516_1f654115ef
May Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Often grows in extensive stands that exclude other vegetation, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
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Will Stuart wil_8936841310_eeeed27323
May Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Stems, leaf stalks & leaf undersides coated with a gelatinous material, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
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Keith Bradley kab_b_schreberi_9525
June Richland County SC
Sesquicentennial State Park
Flowers consist of 6 recurved tepals, a cluster of erect, pinkish-purple stamens & a pink ovary, per Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Brasenia schreberi
FAMILY
Cabombaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Brasenia schreberi
FAMILY
Cabombaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Brasenia schreberi
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Brasenia schreberi
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 075-02-001:
Brasenia schreberi
FAMILY
Cabombaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Brasenia schreberi
2986
Floating-leaved aquatic (rooted); Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Lakes, ponds, sluggish streams, floodplain oxbow ponds, beaver ponds, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain, uncommon in SC Piedmont (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple - peltate
Alternate
Leaves have long petioles.
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Red-purple
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals
12-20 stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual (functionally unisexual through protogyny)
Flowers solitary
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Field Guide to Aquatic Plants of Alabama (Lovell, 2007) p56
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p336
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p482
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p478
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p113
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p011
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p140
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p031
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p042
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p289
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