Marsilea quadrifolia

Also known as Four-leaf clover, European water clover, Water clover, Four-leaf water fern

FreshwaterCarpetingRunnersRhizome divisionSpores

Invasive. European water clover is invasive and regulated in parts of North America. Never release into the wild; dispose of in the trash.

Marsilea quadrifolia (Marsilea quadrifolia) — Hardyplants · CC0

Care at a glance

Light: Medium light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Temperature: 64–82°F; 18–28°C
Max height: 4.7 in; 12 cm

Growth rate: Slow
Placement: Foreground
Type: Carpeting
pH: 6.0–7.5
Hardness: 2–15 dGH
Spread: 5.9 in (15 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root feeder
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Medium
Family: Marsileaceae
Origin: Europe and Asia (introduced/naturalized in NE North America)

Overview

Marsilea quadrifolia is a clover-leaved carpeting plant for the foreground. It is slower and more demanding than Marsilea hirsuta.

Did you know

Marsilea quadrifolia sporocarps are among the most durable plant reproductive structures known. There are reports of their spores germinating after sitting dry for more than a century.

Caring for Marsilea quadrifolia

Plant rhizome sections of Marsilea quadrifolia shallowly across the foreground, in a nutrient-rich substrate. It feeds mainly through its roots, so root tabs help.

It stays short and clover-shaped under medium to strong light, while weak light makes it grow tall and lose the look. It grows without injected CO2, but CO2 noticeably speeds the slow fill-in. Keep the water between 64 and 82°F (18 to 28°C).

It grows slowly, to about 12 cm, and spreads by runners off the rhizome. Divide the rhizome and replant the runners to expand the carpet.

Because it is invasive in parts of North America, never dump excess plants or trimmings outdoors. Bag them and put them in the trash.

Good to know

Marsilea quadrifolia is an aquatic fern in the family Marsileaceae, not a flowering clover despite its common name. Like other ferns it reproduces by spores rather than seeds, carried in hard, bean-like sporocarps on emersed plants. Its four leaflets rise from a creeping rhizome, and submersed plants often drop to one, two or three lobes.

In the wild

Marsilea quadrifolia is native from central and southern Europe through the Caucasus and western Siberia to India, China, Japan and Vietnam. It grows in ponds, rice paddies and ditches. It is amphibious and raises its four-lobed clover leaves above the surface when emersed. In the northeastern United States it is an introduced invasive, naturalized for over a century and listed in states such as Ohio.

Common questions

Does Marsilea quadrifolia 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 quadrifolia need CO2?

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

How much light does Marsilea quadrifolia need?

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

Does Marsilea quadrifolia need root tabs?

Yes. Marsilea quadrifolia 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 quadrifolia?

Marsilea quadrifolia 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.