Marsilea villosa

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Marsilea villosa (`ihi`ihi)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pteridophyta Class: Filicopsida Order: Hydropteridales Family: Marsileaceae Genus: Marsilea Species: M. villosa
Binomial name
Marsilea villosa

Marsilea villosa, the ‘ihi‘ihi (Hawaiian) or villous waterclover (English), is a species of fern with leaves resembling four-leaf clover. Native to the Hawaiian islands of Oahu, Molokai and Niihau, it is found exclusively in areas with irregular flooding. Fewer than 2,000 individual plants in four populations remain and the plant was federally listed as an endangered species in 1992.

M. villosa releases its spores during floods, but requires the waters to subside for new plants to become established.

[edit] References

• The Recovery Plan for the Marsilea villosa. Threatened and Endangered Animals in the Hawaiian Islands. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved on 2006-07-19.
• Marsilea villosa (TSN ). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on July 19, 2006.