水盾草属 shui dun cao shu

Plants with young vegetative parts often rust-colored pubescent, barely mucilaginous. Leaves submersed and floating, short to long petiolate. Submersed leaves conspicuous, basal to apical on stem throughout vegetative period; leaf blade cordate in outline, palmately dissected into dichotomously (trichotomously) branched segments. Floating leaves inconspicuous, alternate, apical on stem only during flowering; leaf blade linear-elliptic or rarely hastate, peltate, base entire or notched. Flowers entomophilous, short pedunculate; perianth showy. Sepals petaloid, obovate. Petals oval, base auriculate. Stamens 3--6, opposite petals. Pistils (1 or)2--4; ovules (1--)3(--5); stigmas capitate. Fruit long pyriform, apically tapered. Seeds ovoid (to subglobose), tuberculate.

Five species: Central, North, and South America; one species in China.

Lower Taxon

• Cabomba caroliniana A. Gray