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Water-shield family
Cabombaceae
ジュンサイ科
A small family of aquatic angiosperms positioned at the base of the angiosperm phylogeny. Brasenia schreberi is native to Japan, and its young leaves and stems are eaten as a delicacy, prized for their mucilaginous coating.
Key Characteristics
- ●Aquatic plants with submerged or floating leaves
- ●Young shoots of Brasenia are covered with a thick gelatinous mucilage
- ●Petals and sepals in sets of 3
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate / Opposite
Leaf type
Simple / Compound
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Dissected / Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Latex
Present / Absent
Petal count
6 petals
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
3-4
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Basal angiosperms > Nymphaeales > Cabombaceae
Divergence Era
Early to mid-Cretaceous (ca. 100–90 Ma)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Independent adaptation to aquatic environments within the basal angiosperm lineage
- ・Evolution of mucilage-based herbivore defense mechanisms
Plants in Water-shield family on this site
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