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Common Name: Water Clover

General Information

Marsilea quadrifolia is a Fern up to 0.20 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

Although we have found no reports of toxicity for this species, a number of ferns contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable[].
The sporocarps of this species also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of vitamin B1. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is rich in vitamin B, though large quantities can cause severe health problems. Fairly resistant to heat, the quantity of enzyme can be greatly reduced by thoroughly drying or cooking the plant[, ].

Botanical References

,

Range

C. Europe to Asia.

Habitat

Ponds and paddy fields all over Japan[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Fern
Height	0.20 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a permanently moist or wet soil, it can be grown by the side of ponds etc or in the shallow edges of the pond[]. Thrives in a turfy loam or in peat[].
Hardy to about -15°c[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].

Edible Uses

Young stems and leaves[, ]. A famine food, only used in times of scarcity[].
The spores are produced in a sporocarp (like a fairly large container) and in allied species this is ground up and mixed with flour etc and used in making bread etc. It is rich in starch[]. The sporocarps are a rich source of thiaminase, an enzyme that can destroy vitamin B1 in the diet[]. As such, they are best viewed as a temporary food of last resort[].

Medicinal

A juice made from the leaves is diuretic and febrifuge[]. It is also used to treat snakebite and applied to abscesses etc[].
The plant is anti-inflammatory, diuretic, depurative, febrifuge and refrigerant[, , ].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Spores. The plant produces sporocarps, these need to be lightly abraded and then immersed in water. The sporocarps will then swell and burst to release the spores. The spores germinate immediately, the highly developed prothallus remains inside the large seed-like spores. The gametophyte generation is completed in 24 hours and the first roots and shoots appear in 2 - 3 days. Mature plants bearing sporocarps can develop in as little as 3 months[].
Spore germination in the family occurs after rupture of the sporocarp wall allows the sporocarp contents to be hydrated. A gelatinous structure emerges from the sporocarp, breaking it into valves and carrying the sori into the water. Spore germination (gametophyte growth) and fertilization occur immediately[].
Division.