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 four clover-like lobes and either held above water or submerged, hence the common names such as "water clover" and "four-leaf clover".
The sporocarps of some Australian species are very drought-resistant, surviving up to 100 years in dry conditions. On wetting, the gelatinous interior of the sporocarp swells, splitting it and releasing a 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 grown in aquaria.
[edit] See also
[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)
- Johnson 1986 Systematics of the New World species of Marsilea. Syst. Bot. Monog. 11:1-87.
