The water clover, Marsilea sp., is one of the common aquatic plants in closed water bodies of Bangladesh. This aquatic fern is also called “four-leaf clover” and locally known as “Susni or Susni Shak”. There are approximately 65 species of this genus distributed over the world (Wikipedia, 2013).
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae (Plants)
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta (Vascular plants)
Division: Pteridophyta (Ferns)
Class: Filicopsida
Order: Hydropteridales
Family: Marsileaceae (Water-clover family)
Genus: Marsilea (Waterclover)
Type: Emergent
Body description: The long-stalked leaves have four clover-like lobes. Body is small and soft; generally green or greenish in color. It can be weedy.
Habitat: Usually freshwater. Most plants are held above water and sometimes submerged. This fern can survive for a prorogated period in dry condition. Commonly found in drains too where organic load is much.
Uses: Many people of Bangladesh, especially in rural areas, consume this plant as vegetable. Sometimes this species is placed into an aquarium for decoration.
However, some species may be toxic to sheep and horses and leading to brain damage if consumed (Wikipedia, 2013).
REFERENCES
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Wikipedia (2013) Marsilia. Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Retrieved on January 06, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsilea
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