Marsilea minuta

Water clover, Clover fern

Marsileaceae Edible: Fronds, Leaves, Vegetable 766 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

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. Other common names include gelid waterklawer, small water clover, airy pepperwort, and pepperwort, though the lattermost also applies to plants in the genus Lepidium. In French it is called marsilea à quatre feuilles (literally "four-leafed marsilea") and petite marsilée (literally "little Marsilea"), 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), 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. It is called 'শুশনি শাক' (shushni shak) in Bengali. In parts of India it can be called sunisanakka. In Indonesian it is semanggi (literally "clover"), but this name also applies to Marsilea crenata. In Japanese it is nangokudenjiso and in Thai it is phakwaen. In Malaysian it is tapak itik (literally "duck footprints"). In the Philippines it is kaya-kayapuan (literally "so crowded").

Description

A small fern. It grows in water or damp locations. It has creeping rhizomes. The fronds float. It has four leaflets. These are rounded or delta shaped and 1-2.5 cm long and wide. They are at the top of a slender leaf stalk. It only forms spore bodies in water.

Edible Uses

The very tender stalks and leaves are used as a pot herb, cooked, fried, and sold in markets.

Traditional Uses

The very tender stalks and leaves are used as a pot herb. They are cooked and eaten. They are also fried.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

It is eaten in India, Sri Lanka, and in Bangladesh. In China it is used as forage. It has a raw protein content of 3.3%. The plant is used traditionally in China for edema, skin injuries, snakebite, and inflammation. In Mymensingh District it is traditionally used to treat cough, headache, hypertension, sleep disorders, and respiratory diseases. It is combined with Nardostachys jatamansi and after development by Asima Chatterjee sold as an ayurvedic treatment for epilepsy called Ayush-56. However, Ayush-56 does not show encouraging results in treating the disease. It is also used as a phytoremediator of arsenic while growing with rice plants.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in swamps and stagnant pools. It is rare in Swaziland. In Bangladesh it grows in ditches and rice paddies. It grows in wetlands. In southern China it grows in rice fields and in ditches between 100-1,400 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Caribbean, China, Comoros, East Africa, Eswatini, Gambia, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indochina, Laos, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Northeastern India, Pakistan, SE Asia, Senegal, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, Vietnam, West Africa,

Cultivation

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

Other Information

Leaves are sold in markets.

Synonyms

Marsilea aegyptiaca Wall.Marsilea diffusa var. approximata A. BraunMarsilea perrieriana C. Chr.

Also Known As

Araikeerai, Chabarchilu, Chatom ara, Chick-lintakura, Chilo, Chitigina soppu, Dhel manimuni, Godhi, Guersel, Ishing-yensang, Kundo arxa, Mudugotamara, Paflu, Pani tengesi, Reu-reua, Sunsunia, Sun-suniya, Sushni, Susni, Susnishak, Tengesi, Tripattra, Zarzuri

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