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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Hairy Water Fern
Marsilea uestita Hook. & Grev.

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Water Fern (Marsileaceae)
Spores: May-October
Field Marks: This aquatic fern is readily recognized by its four-leaf clover shaped leaves and the hairy fruiting bodies.
Habitat: Ponds, pools, creeks, roadside ditches, usually in shallow water.
Habit: Perennial fern with slender, branching rhizomes.
Stems: All under water as rhizomes.
Leaves: Divided into 4 leaflets resembling a four-leaf clover, each leaflet shaped like an upside-down triangle, up to 1 inch long, up to 1 inch wide, without teeth, smooth or hairy.
Sori: Borne in hard, ellipsoid structures (sporocarps), each sporocarp solitary on stalks attached to the rhizomes, up to 1/3 inch long, up to 1/8 inch thick, with short, appressed hairs.
Notes: Plants stranded on land tend to be much hairier than those that live in water.

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Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:23:37 EST
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