• Marsilea hirsuta & Marsilea quadrifolia are two most common Indian species, usually found growing in marshy places, wet soil or near muddy margins of ponds.
• The species are hydrophytic or amphibious i.e., they grow rooted in mud or marshes and shallow pools or are completely submerged or partially or entirely out of water in wet habitats.
2. CLASS : PTEROPSIDA
SUB - CLASS : LEPTOSPORANGITAE
ORDER : MARSILEALES
FAMILY : MARSILEACEAE
GENUS : MARSILEA
Marsilea is commonly known as “pepper wort” or “water fern”.
It is represented by about 53 species which are cosmopolitan in
distribution.
The species are hydrophytic or amphibious i.e., they grow rooted
in mud or marshes and shallow pools or are completely submerged
or partially or entirely out of water in wet habitats.
Marsilea hirsuta & Marsilea quadrifolia are two most common
Indian species, usually found growing in marshy places, wet soil or
near muddy margins of ponds.
3. ROOT
LEAF
RHIZOME
OR STEM
o The sporophytic plant body possess
rhizome bearing roots towards the lower
side and leaves towards the upper side.
o In young conditions, the plants are
covered with numerous unbranched,
multicellular hairs.
o The plant body is distinctly
differentiated into rhizome, leaves and
roots.
4. RHIZOME OR STEM
• It is slender, long dichotomously branched with
distinct nodes and internodes. Creeps on or just
beneath the soil surface.
• In aquatic species the internodes are long while
in sub- terrestrial species they are short.
LEAVES
• They are borne alternatively on upper side of rhizome at
nodes, in two rows. The leaves are compound, with basal
petiole and terminal lamina. Young leaves show circinate
venation. Leaflet has several dichotomously branched
veinlets.
• Lamina consists of 4 leaflets, single leaflet consists of 4
pinnules. Leaf segments are on slender stalk called petiole or
rachis. Leaflets are elliptical or obovate shaped. Near the
base of petiole sporocarps are borne
MORPHOLOGY OF MARSILEA
5. ROOTS
• Roots are adventitious arise from lower side of
node of rhizome, either single or in groups. The
primary roots are short lived i.e., ephemeral.
• In certain cases the roots are given out from
internodes in M. aegyptica.
SPOROCARP
• Each sporocarp is oval or bean shaped
biconvex, flattened structure. It is green and soft
in young but in maturity it becomes hard and
brown in colour.
• Made of short stalk called peduncle which is
attached with body by raphe. Above the raphe 1
or 2 protuberances are present and in unequal
size.
6. LIFE CYCLE
PATTERNS
o Marsilea is heterosporous
and spores are produced in
sporangia (megasporangia
and microsporangia).
o Such sporangia are found in
sporocarps.
o Sporocarps are borne on
short lateral branch called
peduncle.
o Peduncle is attached to the
body through raphe.
o Above the raphe there are 2
protuberances present
known as tubercles.
LIFE CYCLE
SPOROPHYTIC
PHASE
GAMETOPHYTIC
PHASE
7. SPOROPHYTIC PHASE
Micro sporangium is oval structure, smaller in size with long stalk
develop on the receptacle. It has a single layered jacket followed by
two layers of tapetal cells. In the centre is present a cavity filled with
microspore mother cells .
At maturity the tapetal cells disintegrate and each microspore
mother cell divides forming 8- 16 haploid microspores. The
microspores are usually 32-64 in number and are liberated by the
disintegration of the micro sporangial wall.
Mega sporangium is a spherical structure with a short stalk and is
present on the top of the receptacle. It is bigger in size than the
microsporangium. All the megaspore mother cells except one
disintegrate.
8. The remaining one divides meiotically to give 4 megaspores but only
one megaspores survives which becomes larger and develops a thick wall.
The megaspore is liberated by the disintegration of the mega sporangial
wall.
The decaying of the wall of the sporocarp takes place due to bacterial
action and spores are liberated.
Mature sporocarps are detached from the plant and remain in water or
muddy soils. Sporocarp opens into two valves along the ventral side from
base to apex.
The coiled gelatinous ring absorbs water, swells comes out of the
ruptured sporocarp and pulled out of the sori still attached to the
gelatinous ring. The delicate sporangial wall breaks and spores are
liberated which germinate at once.
9. GAMETOPHYTIC PHASE
Microspores develop into male gametophyte . Microspore divides by an
unequal division forming a small prothalial and a large apical cell. Prothalial
cell divides to form two antheridial intials.
Each antheridial intial divides and re-divides giving rise to jacket of three
cells and one primary androgonial cell which further divides to produce 16
androcytes or sperm mother cells.
Each megaspore has a short apical papilla. Megaspore nucleus divides into
unequal nuclei and a small apical cell and a large basal cell is formed. Female
gametophyte develops from small apical cell. Basal cell function as nutritive
cell.
Mature female gametophyte is reduced structure contain a single
archegonium embedded in a cap of tissue attached over apex of basal nutritive
cell. Mature archegonium contains neck two tiers of four cells, one neck canal
cell, a venter canal cell and an egg.
10. Antherozoids swims towards archegonium and enters through neck
to egg and fuses with egg and becomes zygote(2n diploid). Zygote is
beginning of sporophyte generation.
Then zygote divides into formation of embryo contains segments
leaf, root and foot.
The oospore divides into 2 unequal cells – large epibasal cell and
small hypobasal cell.
The oospore is the initial states of sporophytic generation. Hence, in
the way the sporophytic and gametophytic generation alternate with
each other although the sporophytic phase is dominant over
gametophytic phase.
11. LEAF JUICE – USED TO STOP
NOSE BLEEDING, INDIGESTION
• TENDER LEAVES – USED AS
FOOD, REDUCE SWELLING OF
GUMS
• WHOLE PLANT – EXTRACT
USED TO INCREASE FERTILITY
• ORNAMENTAL USE – USED AS
POT PLANT AND USED
COMMONLYAS GARDEN
PLANT FOR POND
DECORATION
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF MARSILEA
MARSILEA MINUTA
12. MARSILEAVILLOSA MARSILEADRUMMONDII
Used in some
landscapes as a
drought
tolerant
groundcover
Sold on the
market as
“shamrock” or
“four - leaf
clover”
It contain high
levels of
enzyme
Thiaminase.
An excellent
feature for the
home water
garden In times of food
scarcity, the dry
spore capsules
are used to
produce flour
for baking
13. They are used as anti- inflammatory, diuretic, depurative, febrifuge and refrigerant. The leaf extract was
applied for abscesses and used to treat snakebite.
Entire plant cure for cough as well as convulsive condition of leg and muscles.
Remedy for respiratory troubles, sleep disorders, hypertension, epilepsy, migraine, headache, nervous
disorders, body aches, insomnia, rheumatism, infantile diarrhoea and lesions on tongue and in mouth.
Improving lactation after childbirth.
A famine food, used in times of scarcity.
Used in making bread etc.. It is rich in starch.
MARSILEA QUADRIFOLIA