TankBud

Marsilea hirsuta

Also known as Hairy water clover, Australian water clover, Four-leaf clover

FreshwaterCarpetingRunnersRhizome divisionSpores

Marsilea hirsuta (Marsilea hirsuta)
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Light
Medium light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
64–82°F
18–28°C
Max height
3.9 in
10 cm
Growth rate
Slow
Placement
Foreground
Type
Carpeting
pH
5.5–7.5
Hardness
2–15 dGH
Spread
5.9 in (15 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root feeder
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Family
Marsileaceae
Origin
Australia

Overview

Marsilea hirsuta is one of the best low-tech carpeting plants for the foreground. It is easy and very forgiving.

Did you know

A single Marsilea hirsuta plant can carry one-, two-, three- and four-lobed leaves at the same time. The lucky four-leaf clover shape is just one of several forms it cycles through underwater.

Caring for Marsilea hirsuta

Split the in-vitro pot of Marsilea hirsuta into small portions and plant the rhizomes shallowly across the foreground. It feeds through its roots, so a nutrient-rich substrate or root tabs matter most.

It grows fine without CO2 in medium light. Injected CO2 keeps it tighter and shorter and speeds the fill-in. In low light it stretches taller and the four-leaf form opens up. It tolerates soft to moderately hard water and 64 to 82°F (18 to 28°C).

It is slower than hairgrass, and that slow growth is both the trade-off and the appeal. Once established it reaches about 10 cm and needs little trimming. New plants grow along its runners, and the rhizome can be cut into pieces and replanted.

Good to know

Marsilea hirsuta is an aquatic fern in the family Marsileaceae, distributed by Tropica from Australian stock. Submersed, it can put up single leaves that resemble a large Glossostigma. Like all Marsilea, it reproduces by spores from sporocarps rather than by seed.

In the wild

Marsilea hirsuta is native to Australia. It grows in seasonally wet areas, around pond and creek margins and on damp ground that floods and dries. It is amphibious, growing low and simple-leaved underwater and raising clover-like leaves when emersed.

Common questions

Does Marsilea hirsuta need to be planted in the substrate?

Yes. Split it into small clumps and push each one into the substrate with tweezers, leaving gaps for it to fill.

Does Marsilea hirsuta need CO2?

No, but it helps. Marsilea hirsuta can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.

How much light does Marsilea hirsuta need?

Marsilea hirsuta wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.

Does Marsilea hirsuta need root tabs?

Yes. Marsilea hirsuta draws much of its food through its roots. Push root tabs in near it, or grow it in a nutrient-rich soil.

How do you propagate Marsilea hirsuta?

Marsilea hirsuta propagates by runners and rhizome division. New plants grow along its runners. Cut one free once it has roots and plant it. Cut the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each, then tie or plant each piece.

How tall does Marsilea hirsuta grow?

Marsilea hirsuta grows to about 3.9 in (10 cm) tall. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming.

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