The water is as deep as the starry sky and the white flowers are scattered like stars

The flowering period of water shield grass begins in July and can last until autumn.

[water shield grass Cabomba caroliniana] Cabombaceae > > ear water shield genus

He is a submerged plant, but the flowers come out of the water when they are in bloom.

Flowering aquatic plants such as lotus and water lilies are mostly positive, but water shield grass is a submerged plant and does not need much light. Therefore, in the shade of more shady trees, under the bridge hole, water shield grass can often occupy a large part of the water area, and make a spectacular flower.

The water in the shade is as deep as the starry sky, and the water shield grass and white flowers are scattered like stars, which is very beautiful. The water shield grass grows well in the sun, but without a strong contrast between light and shade, it is better to look good in the shade.

I have seen water shield grass in many places, in Hangzhou Botanical Garden, Xixi Wetland, urban water network, in Suzhou garden water system, in the fish tank of Flower and Bird Market. But after checking the information, I know that the water shield grass is not a plant native to China, but originated from the United States to Brazil and other places.

Because it is not of Chinese origin, there is no record in the plant records, and the Chinese name is not unified. Other names of water shield grass are Ulva, bamboo water-saving pine, green chrysanthemum and so on.

He is called green chrysanthemum in the flower-and-bird market, because his leaves are radially arranged with submerged leaflets that are fine and neat, like blossoming chrysanthemums. Others think that the arrangement of leaves is like a shield, hence the name of water shield grass.

The stem of water shield grass is segmented, each node can produce dense branches and leaves, and the whole stem shuttles like a long queue at the bottom of the water.

Botanists and ecologists believe that water shield grass may become as harmful as water hyacinth.

According to data, this plant was first discovered in Ningbo in 1993 and was not reported as a new record until flowering specimens were collected in 2000. By 2004, water shield grass has posed a serious threat to some aquatic plant communities in Zhejiang and Jiangsu.

Water shield grass has appeared in the water body of Old Summer Palace in Beijing, according to a 2013 document. [1] [2] [3] it is easy to speculate that the appearance of water shield grass in Beijing has a lot to do with the sales activities in the flower and bird market.

But on the other hand, like water hyacinth, water shield grass has a strong ability to purify water body and can be used to deal with water eutrophication.

Back to the white flowers of the water shield grass.

The white floret has six tepals arranged in two rounds. The base of the perianth is bright yellow. Six stamens surround the pistil. According to reason, the pistil of water shield grass should also be tri-cardinal, and most of the photos on the Internet are trifid stigmas. But I checked several photos I took and found that more than half of the styles of the flowers were split in half.

Yu Jian, Ding Bingyang, Yu Mingjian, et al. Seasonal dynamics of water shield grass invading submerged plant community [J]. Journal of Ecology, 2004, 24 (10): 2149-2156.

[2] Ding Bingyang. Water shield grass (Brasenaceae), a newly naturalized genus of aquatic plants in China. Journal of Plant Taxonomy, 2000, 38 (2): 198200.

Zhang Jinlin, Meng Shiyong. Water shield grass was found in Beijing waters [J]. Journal of Weeds, 2013, 31 (2): 45-46.

Author: Jiang SB.

Picture: Jiang (unless indicated)

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