Marsileaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Marsilea minuta

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Marsilea minuta is a small, creeping fern with erect 4-foliolate leaves, arising solitary from the nodes on a long creeping rhizome, rooting at the nodes Water clover is planted as an ornamental pot plant and is used more commonly as a garden plant for pond decoration[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. Marsilea minuta has a wide native range. It is the most widely distributed and common fern in India with few or no threats. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeWidely spread throughout Africa, including Madagascar and the Comoros; also found widely through tropical Asia.

HabitatShallow pools; edges of rivers; rocks underneath waterfalls; water holes; seasonally dried up river beds; seasonally flooded grassland depressions; rice fields. Often forming large and dense colonies[ 308 Title Flora Zambesiaca Publication Author Website http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants. ]..