Marsilea minuta, or dwarf waterclover is a species of aquatic fern in the family Marsileaceae. It is not to be confused with Marsilea minuta E.Fourn. 1880, which is a synonym for Marsilea vestita.[4] Other common names include gelid waterklawer, small water clover,[1] airy pepperwort, and pepperwort,[7] though the lattermost also applies to plants in the genus Lepidium. In French it is called marsilea à quatre feuilles (literally "four-leafed marsilea")[7] and petite marsilée (literally "little Marsilea"),[1] the latter appearing to be a calque with the Latin botanical name. In Chinese it is 南国田字草 (nan guo tian zi cao),[8] literally "southern field word grass," referencing the similarity of the leaflet shape to the Chinese character for "field." The Koch Rajbongshi people and Garo people call it shusni shak.[9] It is called 'শুশনি শাক' ('shushni shak') in Bengali^{[citation needed]}. In parts of India it can be called sunisanakka[10] In Indonesian it is semanggi (literally "clover"),[7] but this name also applies to Marsilea crenata. In Japanese it is nangokudenjiso and in Thai it is phakwaen.[7] In Malaysian it is tapak itek (literally "site duck").[7] In the Philippines it is kaya-kayapuan (literally "so crowded").[7]

Marsilea minuta
Marsilea minuta
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Division:	Polypodiophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Salviniales
Family:	Marsileaceae
Genus:	Marsilea
Species:	M. minuta
Binomial name
Marsilea minuta L. 1771[2]
Subspecies
Marsilea minuta var. incurva (A. Braun) Launert Marsilea minuta var. zollingeri (A.Braun) Baker[3]
Native range of Marsilea minuta[1][4]
Synonyms[2]
List Lemma minuta (L.) Desr.[3] Lemma minuta (L.) Desr. ex Lam.[3] Marsilea aegyptiaca Wall.[3] Marsilea brachycarpa A. Br.[3][5] Marsilea brachypus A. Br.[3][5] Marsilea brasiliensis Mart.[2] Marsilea cornuta A. Br.[3] Marsilea coromandelica Burm. fil.[3] Marsilea crenata Presl[3] Marsilea crenulata Desv.[2][3] Marsilea diffusa Lepr.[2][3] Marsilea diffusa Leprieur ex A. Br.[3] Marsilea diffusa var. approximata A. Braun[2][3] Marsilea diffusa var. cornuta A. Br.[3] Marsilea elata var. crenata (C. Presl) Sadeb.[3] Marsilea erosa Willd.[3] Marsilea gracilenta A. Br.[3][5] Marsilea maheshwarii Gupta[3][5] Marsilea major (Haines) Chowdhury[3] Marsilea mearnsii Christ[3] Marsilea microcarpa A. Br.[3] Marsilea minuta var. indica Gupta[3] Marsilea minuta var. minor Haines[3] Marsilea minuta var. minuta[3][2] Marsilea perrieriana C. Chr.[2] Marsilea polycarpa var. mexicana A. Braun[3][2] Marsilea poonensis Kolhatkar[3][5][6] Marsilea polycarpa Hook. & Grev.[2] Marsilea rotundata Wild.[1] Marsilea sinensis Hand.-Mazz.[3] Marsilea tenax Peter[1][3] Marsilea tetraphylla Thunb.[3] Marsilea vulgaris Bory[3] Zalusianskya coromandelica (Burm. fil.) O. Kuntze[3] Zalusianskya crenulata (Desv.) O. Kuntze[3] Zalusianskya diffusa (A. Br.) O. Kuntze[3] Zalusianskya minuta (L.) O. Kuntze[3] Zaluzianskia polycarpa (Hook. & Grev.) Kuntze[2]

Description

M. minuta has a strongly variable appearance,[5] which often leads to confusion with closely related species. In the water the plant is creeping and spreading, while on land it can appear cushion-like.[5] It typically is perennial but sometimes appears annual. It is a tenagophyte, with the juvenile growing submerged and the adult typically terrestrial.[5]

It has a light brown to green rhizome that is 0.4–0.8 millimetres (1⁄64–1⁄32 in) thick with short tan hairs at the ends and internodal roots.[4] The land leaves are on erect, terete, 5–13 centimetres (2.0–5.1 in) long petioles.[4] The leaflets are 0.8–1.7 centimetres (3⁄8–5⁄8 in) by 1.2–2 centimetres (1⁄2–3⁄4 in), mostly glabrous, cuneate or flabellate.[4] The leaves in water are typically not floating, but emergent from the water.[4] Fertile leaves are produced on land with up to four sporocarps each at penduncles near the base of the petiole.[4] It has a small sporocarp that is 2.6–4.1 millimetres (7⁄64–5⁄32 in) long, 2.4–3.1 millimetres (3⁄32–1⁄8 in) wide, and 1.3–1.7 millimetres (3⁄64–1⁄16 in) thick.[4][11] The sporocarp has a superior tooth at the apex of the stalk and an inferior tooth at the base.[12][5] The sporocarp has a conspicuous 1.5–2.2 millimetres (1⁄16–3⁄32 in) long raphe,[4][12] about ⅔ the length of the sporocarp and semi-terete.[5] Unlike a few Marsilea species, M. minuta sporocarps mature above ground.[12]

Taxonomy

M. minuta is thought to be closely related to Marsilea quadrifolia.[4] Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the genus Marsilea puts both in a widespread Old World subgroup also called "Marsilea" along with M. angustifolia, M. drummondii, M. crenata, and M. fadeniana and indicating that M. crenata is actually a synonym of M. minuta.[12][7]

Habitat and ecology

Marsilea minuta can grow from sea level up to 1,950m in elevation[1] in ponds and other shallow water.[8] It can grow in fresh water or brackish water in clay or sandy soil.[4] The plant can develop into large colonies, and can be weedy.[4][11] Some of its preferred habitat is being lost to agriculture but as it readily grows in Paddy fields, drainage ditches, and other marginal areas its overall population is stable.[1] It has the potential to be invasive and dispersal through aquarium trade and other human means should be limited.[7]

It is a native plant in the following countries:[1]

The leaves and sporocarps of M. minuta are eaten by many waterfowl species, and the intact sporocarps pass through undigested to be spread to new areas.[7] Elophila responsalis also feeds on the leaves, but is not thought to do much damage to the plant.[7]

The plant is susceptible to herbicides such as bensulfuron-methyl, cinosulfuron, 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, oxyfluorfen, and paraquat.[7] Otherwise it can tolerate high levels of organic pollution.[5]

Uses

It is eaten in India, Sri Lanka,[14] and in Bangladesh.[9] In China it is used as forage.[8] It has a raw protein content of 3.3%.[14]

The plant is used traditionally in China for edema, skin injuries, snakebite, and inflammation.[8] In Mymensingh District it is traditionally used to treat cough, headache, hypertension, sleep disorders, and respiratory diseases.[9] It is combined with Nardostachys jatamansi and after development by Asima Chatterjee[15] sold as an ayurvedic treatment for epilepsy called "Ayush-56."[10] However, Ayush-56 does not show encouraging results in treating the disease.[16] It is also used as a phytoremediator of arsenic while growing with rice plants.[17][18]

Gallery

References

External links

• Marsilea minuta at iNaturalist
• Media related to Marsilea minuta at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Marsilea minuta at Wikispecies