Marsilea angustifolia

The narrow-leaved water clover, Marsilea angustifolia, comes from Australia, where relatively many water clover species ("nardoo") are native. According to the "Atlas of Living Australia", M. angustifolia is distributed mainly in the north of the states of Western Australia and Northern Territory as well as in New South Wales and Victoria (as far as the south of Queensland and the southeast of South Australia). The species colonises shallow waters and drying mud.

As in all other Marsilea species, the emersed leaves (see images 1 and 2) are four-parted like a "lucky clover". The species name (angustifolia = "narrow-leaved") refers to the narrow shape of the four leaf segments.

Marsilea angustifolia is available in the trade as an aquarium plant novelty, mainly as in-vitro plants. So far there is only little information on the aquarium cultivation of this species. Under water this water clover develops simple (undivided), shortly petiolate leaves, as are also known from other Marsilea species. The submersed leaves may be distinctly smaller than in other water clovers common in the hobby, but nothing certain is known about this either.

- To be continued -

(For more see "Culture")