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Useful Tropical Plants

Marsilea minuta

L.

Marsileaceae


Marsilea minuta is quite close to Marsilea quadrifolia, and in fact specimens of Marsilea from China seem intermediate between the two species in sporocarp size and peduncle attachment. Study of a wide range of Old World material of Marsilea would be required, however, to resolve the question of whether Marsilea quadrifolia and Marsilea minuta represent distinct species[
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.
].

+ Synonyms

Marsilea crenulata Desv.

Marsilea diffusa Lepr.

Marsilea perrieriana C.Chr.

Marsilea polycarpa Hook. & Grev.

Common Name: Water Clover

Marsilea minuta
Plants growing in shallow water
Photograph by: LiChieh Pan
Creative Commons License
Marsilea minuta Marsilea minuta Marsilea minuta Marsilea minuta

General Information

Water clover 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.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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.

Range

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

Habitat

Shallow 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.
]..

Properties

Weed PotentialYes
Conservation StatusLeast Concern
Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *
HabitFern
Height0.00 m

Cultivation Details



The plant can become a nuisance in wet rice fields, because it forms large and dense colonies[
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.
].

Edible Uses

The bright green leaves are tender and are eaten as a potherb[
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.
].

Medicinal

The extract of whole plants is used as aphrodisiac and for increased fertility[
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.
]. The leaves are pounded, cooked with rice and then eaten as a treatment for indigestion[
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.
].
The leaf juice is used to stop nose bleeding[
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.
]. The leaves are rolled in a leaf of Shorea robusta, the whole is then boiled and then applied to swollen gums in order to reduce the swelling[
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.
].

When fed to gerbils, a leaf extract reduced cholesterol and triglyceride levels in blood and liver substantially. Moreover, the treatment prevented the accumulation of these compounds in the liver and aorta and dissolved atheromatous plaques of thoracic and abdominal aortas[
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.
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-10-12. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Marsilea+minuta>

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