Marsilea 3430826 199552246 2008-03-20T08:35:55Z Chris CII 1391575 Dewikifying a circular reference {{Taxobox | name = Marsilea | image = Marsilea_Hawaii.jpg | image_width = 240px | image_caption = ''Marsilea villosa'' | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | divisio = [[Pteridophyta]] | classis = [[Pteridopsida]] | ordo = [[Salviniales]] | familia = [[Marsileaceae]] | genus = '''''Marsilea''''' [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]] | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text. }} '''Marsilea''' is a genus of approximately 65 species of aquatic [[fern]]s 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 [[sporocarp]]s 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]]. ==See also== * [[Burke and Wills]] * [[Bush bread]] ==References== *Mabberley, D.J. (1997). ''The Plant-Book''. Cambridge University Press. *Edmund Russow: ''Histologie und Entwicklungsgeschichte der Sporenfrucht von Marsilia.'' Dissertation. Dorpat 1871 ([http://www.utlib.ee/ekollekt/vanadisser/russow2.pdf PDF]) * Johnson 1986 Systematics of the New World species of Marsilea. Syst. Bot. Monog. 11:1-87. [[Category:Pteridophyta]] [[es:Marsilea]] [[fr:Marsilea]] [[id:Semanggi]] [[ja:デンジソウ]] [[ro:Marsilea]] [[fi:Marsilea]]