A reply: "Well it sometimes takes a long time for later research work to become generally known. First M. quadrifolia does NOT occur in India (apart from some cultures in Universities etc.) - it is mainly a European species, as has been known now since two or three decades. It is distinguished quite easily by the sorocarps arising from a short way up the leaf pedicel, not in the axil where the pedicell meets the basal stem as in Indian species. All the reports from India, Pakistan etc., which basicly go back to 19th Century alpha-taxonomy, turned out on investigation to be either sterile plants - which are unidentifiable - or mistakes. The usual mistake is for the very widespread and common Indian species, M. minuta (syn.: M. crenata), with the sorocarps arising at the axil. There are two other species in peninsular India, and any number of forms of M. minuta have been described, sometimes as species. Finally, no Marsilea can be identified from photographs that do not show close-up details of the sorocarps - thus although I can wager that the plants in the photos are presumably M. minuta, they can't actually be identified as such until we can see the sorocarps - which generally develop when the plant grows out of the water on land and becomes much smaller. I wonder if people know the interesting story of the Australian species called there "Nardoo grass" (from a place name), which is a Marsilea, I think perhaps M. drummondii, a large species with densely hairy leaves. The European settlers found that the Aboriginees, perfectly in balance with their surrounding natural environment, ate it and survived harsh times from using it as a food stuff - and a number of settlers attempted at various times to follow suit. But they did not know that like tapioca etc. it must be well boiled first, as otherwise it contains a strong alkaloid poison [I hope I have the details right] - which resulted in numbers of deaths of explorers and settlers. Maybe one has to identify which one it is, as a first priority - which brings me back to the point that we need to see those little sorocarps! Best wishes from the BM, London. Chris Fraser-Jenkins. " Thanks, Drt. Chris.
On 4 April 2013 16:58, J.M. Garg <[email protected]> wrote: > Forwarding again for Id assistance please. > > Some earlier relevant feedback: > > These small* fern *plants are of unusual appearance and do not resemble > common ferns. Common names are water clover and four-leaf clover. Leaves > are either held above water or submerged. A most useful plant for creating > a dense green cover as foreground for the aquarium .- from Mahadeswara ji. > > We eat this fern as a vegetable and call it as SUSHNI-SHAK in Bengali - > http://en.bdfish.org/2013/01/water-clover-marsilea-sp/ > Regards, > surajit > > efi site links: Marsilea > minuta<https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/species--ferns/m---z/m/marsileaceae/marsilea/marsilea-minuta> > & > Marsilea quadrifolia > ?<https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/species--ferns/m---z/m/marsileaceae/marsilea/marsilea-quadrifolia> > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: surajit koley <[email protected]> > Date: 23 March 2013 23:25 > Subject: [efloraofindia:149800] Hooghly Today : Marsilea sp. > To: efloraofindia <[email protected]> > > > Sir, > > Bengal Plants gives key to two *Marsilea* species - > > (i) Pedicels adnate to the base of the petiole ------- *quadrifoliata* > (ii) Pedicels quite free from the petioles ------- *minuta* > * > * > FoNA <http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=119753>keys > in - > > (i) roots both at nodes and sparsely (1-3) along internodes ------ * > quadrifolia* > (ii) others > > Regards, > surajit > > -- > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "efloraofindia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > > > > -- > With regards, > J.M.Garg > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1 > 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna' > The whole world uses my Image Resource of more than a *thousand species*& > eight thousand images of Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. (arranged > alphabetically & place-wise): > http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg. You can also use > them for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each image. > For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, > please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group (largest in the world): > http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix (more than 2065 members & > 1,47,500 messages on 28/2/13) or Efloraofindia website: > https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/ (with a species database > of more than 8000 species). > Also author of 'A Photoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of > India'. > -- With regards, J.M.Garg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna' The whole world uses my Image Resource of more than a *thousand species* & eight thousand images of Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. (arranged alphabetically & place-wise): http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg. You can also use them for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each image. For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group (largest in the world): http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix (more than 2065 members & 1,47,500 messages on 28/2/13) or Efloraofindia website: https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/ (with a species database of more than 8000 species). Also author of 'A Photoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of India'. -- --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
