Marsilea
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 Marsilea villosa
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Marsilea is a genus of approximately 65 species of aquatic ferns of family Marsileaceae.
These small plants are of unusual appearance and do not resemble common ferns. The long-stalked leaves have 4 clover-like lobes and either held above water or submerged - hence the common names such as "water clover" and "four-leaf clover".
In some Australian species sporocarps are very drought-resistant and survive up to 100 years in dry conditions - on wetting, gelatinous interior of the sporocarp swells, splitting it and releasing worm-like mass that carries sori, eventually leading to germination of spores and fertilization.
Sporocarps of some Australian species, e.g. Marsilea drummondii are edible and have been eaten by Aborigines and early white settlers.
A few species of marsilea, e.g. Marsilea crenata, Marsilea drummondii, Marsilea exarata and Marsilea quadrifolia are sometimes grown in aquaria.
[edit] References
- Mabberley, D.J. (1997). The Plant-Book. Cambridge University Press.
- Edmund Russow: Histologie und Entwicklungsgeschichte der Sporenfrucht von Marsilia. Dissertation. Dorpat 1871 (PDF)
