What Kind of Vegetable Is Water Shield? A Detailed Explanation of the Five Major Differences from Floating Heart

Water shield, also known as water sunflower and water chestnut vegetable, is a common aquatic perennial herbaceous plant with a creeping rootstock found in ponds. It is well loved because its tender leaves are edible and highly nutritious. So what kind of vegetable is water shield? What is the difference between it and floating heart?

1. What kind of vegetable is water shield?

1. Water shield is a perennial aquatic herbaceous plant with a creeping rootstock belonging to the order Ranunculales, family Nymphaeaceae, subfamily Cabomboideae, genus Brasenia. It mainly grows in a soil layer about 10-15cm deep. Like the water lily, it has a rhizome bearing creeping stems. Its leaves are elliptical, hairless on both sides and blue-green in color. When they first emerge the leaves are curled up, and as they gradually grow they spread out and lie flat on the water surface like lotus leaves. It generally flowers in June and fruits from October to November. The flowers have blunt rounded tips, and the sepals and petals are linear. The fruit is round-ovate, containing 1-2 ovate seeds, and the surface has 3 or more layers of mature carpels.

2. Water shield is a kind of aquatic plant. In 1999 it was listed as a national first-class key protected wild plant. At present it is cultivated in ponds and lakes in seven provinces of China: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and Yunnan, with most of it distributed in Hunan, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan and other places. Of course, it is also distributed in some areas abroad, such as Australia, Canada, Japan, India, North America, as well as western Africa and eastern Oceania.

3. Water shield is an aquatic vegetable with very high nutritional value. It is rich in protein, vitamins, amino acids and various trace elements. It has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling and promoting urination, and can effectively treat conditions such as stomach pain, vomiting and high blood pressure. At present we mainly eat the tender leaf parts, and they can be made into water shield soup, cold-dressed water shield and so on. Although it has little flavor on its own, once cooked its texture is very good, not only smooth and tender but also round and plump. It is currently a precious vegetable.

2. What is the difference between water shield and floating heart?

Difference one, different family and genus: water shield is a perennial aquatic herbaceous plant with a creeping rootstock belonging to the order Ranunculales, family Nymphaeaceae, subfamily Cabomboideae, genus Brasenia; floating heart is a shallow-water perennial aquatic plant belonging to the order Gentianales, family Gentianaceae, genus Nymphoides.

Difference two, different appearance: water shield leaves are elliptical, 5-6cm long and 5-10cm wide, with relatively long petioles about 25-40cm; floating heart leaves are round or ovate, about 1.5cm in diameter, with short petioles about 5-10cm.

Difference three, different distribution range: water shield is mostly distributed in the south, and is cultivated in ponds and lakes in seven provinces of China: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and Yunnan; floating heart has a very wide distribution range and is cultivated in most areas of China.

Difference four, different ways of eating: water shield can be used to make porridge, stir-fried dishes and so on; floating heart is also edible, but is mostly chopped up to feed pigs or poultry, especially pigs, ducks, geese and fish, which like to eat it very much.

Difference five, different flowering and fruiting times: water shield generally flowers in June and fruits from October to November; floating heart generally flowers and fruits from May to October, and its fruits ripen in large quantities in September to October.

The above is a detailed introduction to what water shield is and the differences between water shield and floating heart. We hope it is helpful to everyone.