| The water shield is a floating-leaved plant, but the long leaf stalks reach all the way to the bottom where
they attach to a long creeping root that is anchored in the mud. Water shield occurs in lakes, ponds and slow streams, and prefers water up to six feet deep.
Water shield leaves are oval and shield-shaped. Its leaf stalks are attached at the centers of the leaf blades. Its submersed parts and undersides of leaves are
covered with a viscous jelly-like substance. Its flowers are small, dull purple, and emerge from the water on a stalk.
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