Narrow leaf water clover

Marsilea angustifolia

Also known as Narrowleaf four-leaf clover, Narrow leaf four leaf clover, Narrow-leaf nardoo, Water clover, Marsilea

FreshwaterFernRunnersRhizome division

Narrow leaf water clover (Marsilea angustifolia) — Buce Plant · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Light: Medium light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Temperature: 64–86°F; 18–30°C
Max height: 3.1 in; 8 cm

Growth rate: Medium
Placement: Foreground
Type: Fern
pH: 5.0–8.0
Hardness: 0–14 dGH
Spread: 4.7 in (12 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Easy
Family: Marsileaceae
Origin: Australia

Overview

Narrow leaf water clover is a hardy, easy carpeting fern for the foreground, and it suits nano tanks.

Did you know

Marsilea sporocarps are among the most durable propagules in the plant world. Dried specimens of related species have reportedly germinated after more than a century in storage.

Caring for narrow leaf water clover

Plant small pieces of narrow leaf water clover rhizome a couple of centimeters apart in the foreground. Bury the roots, but keep the base of the leaves clear of the substrate.

It grows in medium light without CO2. Strong light and CO2 keep it short and compact rather than tall and leggy. It feeds through both roots and leaves, so root tabs and a liquid fertilizer both help. It takes 64 to 86°F (18 to 30°C) and a pH of 5 to 8.

It grows at a moderate pace, to about 8 cm. It creeps across the substrate on a horizontal rhizome and spreads by runners into a low mat. Cut a runner plant free once it has roots, or divide the rhizome.

Submersed, it tends to drop the classic four-lobe pattern for single or two-lobed leaves. New leaves often emerge brownish before greening up.

Good to know

Narrow leaf water clover is a true fern in the family Marsileaceae, not a flowering plant, despite its clover-like leaves. In nature it reproduces by spore-bearing structures called sporocarps rather than seeds. The genus is heterosporous, making both large and small spores, which is unusual among ferns. Species identification within cultivated Marsilea is notoriously difficult and often unreliable in the trade.

In the wild

Narrow leaf water clover is an Australian native of seasonally wet ground and pond margins across northern Australia. It is very drought tolerant where flooding is only seasonal. Emersed, its four-lobed clover leaves stand upright on wet soil, and in deeper water they float on the surface.

Common questions

Does narrow leaf water clover need to be planted in the substrate?

Yes. Plant the roots in the substrate and keep the base of the leaves clear of it.

Does narrow leaf water clover need CO2?

No, but it helps. Narrow leaf water clover can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.

How much light does narrow leaf water clover need?

Narrow leaf water clover wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.

Does narrow leaf water clover need root tabs?

They help. Narrow leaf water clover takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves. Root tabs near its roots and a liquid fertilizer cover both.

How do you propagate narrow leaf water clover?

Narrow leaf water clover 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.